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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

What is Fire?


Click here for a link to the video.

Monday, July 30, 2012

What Not To Do With IPAD Introduction

Some good advice from The Journal blog site:

5 Things Not To Do During an iPad Rollout

K-12 teachers and administrators pinpoint five different areas that schools should be aware of when rolling out iPad initiatives.
There's no shortage of iPad rollouts in the K-12 space right now. Used across all grade levels and subject areas the devices are adored for their portability, battery life, connectivity, and ability to quickly put mobile technology into students' hands. These implementations typically generate positive reviews from educational users, but iPads also present challenges for the districts that dole them out, for the teachers that incorporate them into the classroom, and for the students who use them.
Here are five things that you shouldn't do during an iPad rollout.
1. Go into it without first organizing classroom materials. Before handing out iPads for the first time to her second grade students, Eileen Haggard spent time organizing the devices and their respective resources. A teacher at Stonewall Elementary in Lexington, KY, Haggard said she created a desktop (on her own classroom computer) where each of the 15 iPads are numbered and grouped according to subject (reading and math). This strategy allows Haggard to keep track of the iPads and easily determine what type of content is on each device. She can download only the most relevant apps to the appropriate iPads rather than using a "shotgun" approach to populating the devices with content.
Haggard said she uses a similar organizational approach with daily assignments, knowing that her young students will be most productive when given specific tasks to complete on their tablets. "By taking the time to get all of this set up early," said Haggard, "I've been able to really make the most of the devices."
2. Expect students to ignore Angry Birds. If there's one thing that Bill Wiecking has learned fromHawaii Preparatory Academy's iPad implementation it's that students will invariably gravitate to computer games like Angry Birds when left to figure out the devices on their own. The private school in Kamuela, HI, uses the tablets in its "energy lab," where students collaborate and develop sustainable living solutions.
Wiecking, HPA's energy lab director, said getting students away from games like Angry Birds and engaged in educational projects on their iPads isn't always easy. Getting there requires a teacher who is committed to using the devices as interactive educational tools for collaboration, research, and communication.
"It's about students being engaged and on task," said Wiecking. "Simply purchasing the tools and handing them out is a lazy approach that doesn't work."
3. Assume that sharing information and files is easy. Mineola Union Free School District in Long Island launched its iPad initiative by handing out 80 devices in 2010 and another 200 tablets in 2011. More are on the way, according to Michael Nagler, who said the fact that the iPad doesn't include an easy way to file and share information has plagued the district's IT team ever since the first device was distributed.
"This is not a network-friendly device," said Nagler. "Our students use folders to store and manage all of their work on PCs, but the iPad doesn't include that functionality, and there's no good workaround for the problem."
Nagler said the problem has grown as more devices were distributed and as more teachers recognized the limitation. The district has yet to solve the problem, but Nagler said creating e-mail accounts that allow students to exchange assignments and information with their teachers has helped. "Right now we're using an intranet," said Nagler, "but as our iPad program expands we'll be looking for a better solution."
4. Forgetting to budget for apps. Tight budgets and poor planning can pose a challenge for districts and schools that don't allocate funding for iPad applications.
"Not only do you have an initial outlay for the devices, but you also have to pay for the apps," Nagler said. To control that spending and also maintain inventory "app" control on the devices Mineola Union Free SD signed up for Apple's app store volume purchase program (VPP). The program allows educational institutions to purchase iOS apps in volume and distribute the apps to their users.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Price Shop For School Supplies


Click here for a link to the video.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

What A Presenter Should Know

Click here to see 5 things every presenter should know.

5 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know About People from Weinschenk on Vimeo.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Perils of Social Promotion

During my recent travels I was able to read the Buffalo News (I am a newspaper junkie). What caught my attention was an article, "Schools look to equivalency for over age under achievers" Seems the local school board had outlawed social promotion in 2006 and now there were a lot of 16 year old's stuck in middle school because they couldn't pass and could not drop out of school until their 17th birthday. The middle schools were not able to handle the older students so the school district was trying to find a way to get them into a GED type program. Eliminating social promotion just created another problem which the schools were not able to deal with.

Does your school system practice social promotion? Just look at the number of students in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades. If the 9th and 10th grades have more students, your district practices social promotion.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The World Has Changed - Have Schools?


I'm friends with a lot of cynics. You know the ones that know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Sometimes I fall into that category. They are the ones who are  asking why we have to have nurses and so many administrators - even suggesting that air conditioning is a luxury we can do without. After all, they, like me, went to school without most of those things.

Then there is the issue of discipline in school. It's much tougher on students today since most schools have taken a zero tolerance policy. One strike and you are out of school. Which sets up the email I got below which declares  "most of us would not make it today".  Some of the scenario's are a little extreme - but decide for yourself:

 You should know that by today's standards none of us was supposed to ever make it.

 HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2012

 Scenario 1:

Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack..

1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2012 - School goes into lock down,  Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

 Scenario 2:

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

 2012 - Police called -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault

 Scenario 3:

Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2012 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD.  Jeffrey now has a disability.

Scenario 4:

Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping.

1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman..

2012 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse, Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The  psychologist is told by 
Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. 

 Scenario 5:

Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock..

2012 - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.
 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

What Great Teachers Do Different


Click here for a link to the video.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Mooresville Story on 1 to 1 Student Learning

From the Cisco blog:

Dr. Mark Edwards Talk On Student Achievement Gains at Mooresville GSD

For a shining example of public education in the United States, watch the talk that Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent of Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina, gave at the recent ISTE Conference in San Diego. Yes, Mooresville is a Cisco customer, and yes, how they have used technology to improve student outcomes is big part of their success story (Dr. Edwards has the metrics to prove it). But the real key to their effectiveness as a high-performing public school is the holistic approach they take to educating “every child, every day”, their “can do” attitude, and “culture of caring” that Mark and his team have created at Mooresville.
Watch the video of Dr. Edward’s ISTE presentation — it runs just under an hour and is well worth your time.
Click here for a link to the video.

Most exciting to me is that  so much of Mooresville’s approach is replicable.  Dr. Edwards is writing a book and I hope every educator, and prospective educator in the country buys a copy.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Rock Hill School Board Extends Superintendent's contract

The Rock Hill School Board met on Monday, July 23, 2012 to discuss personnel recommendations and the Superintendents yearly evaluation. In action items, the board voted 6-0 for the following:

  • Approved the administration's recommendations for personnel changes
  • Approved a one year contract extension for the Superintendent (until June 30, 2017)
Walter Brown was home recovering from surgery and unable to attend.  After the vote, the Board Chair, Bob Norwood, read the following statement:

2012 Evaluation of Supt. Lynn P. Moody
Rock Hill Schools


The Board of Trustees of Rock Hill School District Three met this evening to conduct the Superintendent’s annual performance evaluation—a process required by the board’s contract with the Superintendent and district policy.

To accomplish this year’s evaluation, several weeks ago the board asked the superintendent to provide all board members with a written report which included her assessment of the district’s performance in a variety of areas, including the district’s performance as measured against performance goals approved by the board in October 2011. The Superintendent’s report was previously made public.

Each board member was asked to come to an Executive Session discussion focused on the Superintendent’s performance in the 2011-12 school year prepared to comment on the board members’ perception of the district’s performance in light of the Superintendent’s report along with the board members’ individual views concerning the district’s performance.

In summary, the board members are very pleased with Dr. Moody’s performance during the past year, but all board members, as well as the Superintendent, realize there is a need for continuous improvement. Obviously, student academic performance remains the district’s top priority.

The board has asked the Superintendent and her staff to provide the board with proposed goals for the 2012-13 school year, goals which address the most important challenges and needs facing the district. These proposed goals will be discussed at an upcoming board meeting and properly publicized to the community. Such goals will be among the criteria for the Superintendent’s evaluation next year.

To conclude the evaluation process, the board congratulates Dr. Moody on a difficult job well done and has unanimously agreed to extend the Superintendent’s contract an additional year or until June 30, 2017. As provided in the Superintendent’s contract, Dr. Moody will receive the same cost of living increase received by the district’s teachers, which for next year will be two percent.

                                                                              Robert “Bob” Norwood
                                                                              Chairman, Board of Trustees
July 23, 2012

A Teacher's Favorite IPAD Apps.

Cute video from Teacher Amy Moore on some of her favorite IPAD apps. I'm not sure all the apps are free, but you can certainly check.
Click here for a link to the video.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

High School Soccer Programs Might See Talent Drain

This article from the Post & Courier describes changes in the US Elite Youth Soccer program which may have a big impact on the top soccer programs in South Carolina:


All-Lowcountry soccer player Christian Jablonski won’t be able to play his senior season at Wando High School due to his commitment to U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program.
All-Lowcountry soccer player Christian Jablonski won’t be able to play his senior season at Wando High School due to his commitment to U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program.
A rising senior at Wando High School, Christian Jablonski is one of the best soccer players in the state. He’s verbally committed to College of Charleston and plays for the elite S.C. United Battery Development Academy team.
Wando is one of the top high school programs in the state, with a Class AAAA state title in 2011 and a runner-up finish this year. The Development Academy squad is one of 78 in the U.S. Soccer Federation’s system, an attempt to produce world-class American players.
For the past three years, Jablonski has been able to play for both teams. He represented Wando during the three-month high school season while honing his skills for much of the rest of the year with the Development Academy squad.
But starting this summer, Jablonski and other top players in the Lowcountry and across the nation will have to make a choice. A new policy handed down by U.S. Soccer will make the Development Academy a nearly year-round commitment, rendering it impossible for its athletes to also play for their high schools.
Jablonski has already decided to give up his senior season at Wando in order to commit to the Development Academy’s 10-month schedule of training and matches. It’s a decision he did not reach easily.
“What hurts the most is knowing that I won’t be able to have a senior season at Wando,” Jablonski said. “It’s hard to give that up. It’s a tough decision for anybody to have to make, but especially for high school kids, to stick with a high-level academy team or represent your school.”
Fierce debate
It’s a decision that many in the youth soccer community feel high school players should not have to make. The move by U.S. Soccer — believed to be the first time a major team sport’s national organization has attempted to prevent some of its members from playing for high school teams — has sparked debate among parents and coaches, and on Internet message boards.
It would be akin to AAU basketball programs telling players not to play for their high school teams, said Kevin Heise, veteran coach at Brookland-Cayce High School and associate chairman of the S.C. High School Soccer Coaches Association.
“Right now, our leaders in youth soccer believe this is the way to go,” said Heise. “And they’ve strong-armed a lot of our states into buying into it. As a result, we might have a generation of guys who won’t have the chance to play high school soccer.”
To put the issue in perspective, there are about 400,000 boys playing high school soccer in the U.S. The 78 Development Academy teams in the U.S. Soccer system include about 4,000 players. That means the new policy impacts only one percent of boys high school soccer players.
But it’s the top one percent, and Heise said the loss of even one Development Academy player can have a huge impact on a high school team.
Some schools, such as Wando, stand to lose much more. The Warriors have at least 13 players on S.C. United’s 2012-13 roster. Other schools represented on S.C. United’s roster include James Island Charter and Bishop England, as well as Columbia-area schools Cardinal Newman, Dreher, Blythewood and Dutch Fork.
“It’s unfortunate that kids are having to make a choice between playing high school and for the academy,” said Wando coach Shilo Tisdale, who maintains that U.S. Soccer is forcing thousands of players to give up high school soccer to produce a few world-class players at the other end of the system.
Heise and Tisdale point out that while Development Academy clubs affiliated with some Major League Soccer teams are fully funded, players — or more precisely, their parents — must pay to play for others, such as S.C. United.
“If it is completely free, like in MLS cities, and they are truly taking the best players in the state, I have no problem with it,” said Heise, who also coaches club soccer. “But some kids pay up to $4,000 a year to play academy soccer and are giving up four years of high school soccer.
“You have politics at work, and issues with kids who cannot pay to play. Are we truly identifying the best 18 players?”
Parents, such as Christian Jablonski’s father Richard, have seen their sons benefit from both Development Academy training, and the social and leadership skills and recognition gained in high school soccer.
“In my perfect world, the kids would be able to make one of three choices,” Richard Jablonski said. “Play for their high school or the academy, or be allowed to do both, as has been the case in previous years.
“I truly wish the adults could arrive at an accommodation that would allow the kids to do both, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Kids face divided loyalties between programs and coaches they love and respect. It’s an unfair burden to place on kids, the vast majority of whom will never play a minute for the U.S. national team.”
European model
U.S. Soccer officials argue that expanding the Development Academy system, which began in 2007, will move America closer to the youth soccer models in the rest of the world. Even under the new system, Development Academy teams will train from 200 to 260 hours per season, compared with close to 600 hours in some European countries.
“They are trying to improve the level for the elite player, that’s the goal,” said Clark Brisson, executive director of S.C. United Battery Academy. “Whether we agree on how they are going about it or not, it doesn’t really matter at this point. Culturally, I understand playing high school soccer. I enjoyed high school soccer in my career and grew up with it. It’s just something that we’ll have to see whether it works out or not.”
Brisson emphasized that S.C. United Battery Academy had “zero input” in the U.S. Soccer decision, and that the Battery Academy asked for a waiver so that its players could play for their high schools next spring. The waiver was denied, he said.
“I support all soccer,” he said. “I don’t see why the two can’t co-exist. But that’s for higher-ups to make that decision.”
The level of training at the Development Academy is difficult to replicate in high school, Heise and Tisdale admit. Christian Jablonski said that’s why he chose the academy over Wando.
“With our academy, I get a chance to be in a very professional and elite environment every day, and that’s what I love,” he said.
“I want to be in that environment all the time. I think Wando is an exception in that we have a good core of Academy guys. But some high schools don’t have that.”
Forcing a European model on scholastic sports in the U.S. is awkward at best, Heise said.
“Most of our kids aspire to go to college and succeed in the real world,” Heise said.
“The idea that all 4,000 kids are going to be pro soccer players is a farce. And some people have construed it that way, and that can be misleading to impressionable teenagers.”
Both Heise and Tisdale said the quality of high school soccer could suffer, and the balance of power in the state could shift. The Greenville area’s top club program, Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, allows its athletes to play for high school teams.
“It will impact teams for the next couple of years,” Tisdale said.
“But then like everything else that’s pretty new, the newness will wear off and people will adjust.”
Some say high school soccer will become more like high school tennis and gymnastics, where top athletes already often skip scholastic competition.
Even in sports like basketball and baseball, college recruiters pay more attention to AAU teams and travel squads than to high school games.
Meanwhile, players such as Christian Jablonski will face a new reality when the high school season rolls around next spring.
“I’ll be out supporting the team, just like the seniors who graduated did last year for us,” he said.
“The greatest thing about Wando soccer is that we are a family, and when we move on we still come out and support the guys.
“I might not be a part of the team, but we’ll all still be part of the family together.”

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Old Teacher Training Film on Classroom Management

1947 Teacher Training Film from Michael Smith's Principals Page:
Click here for a link to the video.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Moseley Architects Managing Lesslie Elementary School Project

Mosley Architects is managing an addition to Lesslie Elementary School. Click here to see their page with project management information.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Bubble Science


Click here for a link to the video.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

High School Senior on TED


Click here for a link to the video.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Creativity Takes Time


Click here for a link to the video.

Monday, July 16, 2012

SC Department Of Education Issues Drop Out Report

The South Carolina Department of Education has issued a drop out report for the school districts in the state. You can view this report by clicking here. Below are some of the state-wide statistics:




Below is some past data for the Rock Hill School District:




Rock Hill School Board Takes Money From Reserves To Balance Budget

The Rock Hill School Board met on Monday morning, July 16, 2012 to deal with last minute revenue reductions from the state legislature and Governor. In a 4-1 vote (Douglas against), the board voted to make up  $2.4 million of the shortfall by taking money from the reserve fund after verifying the fund would remain above the minimum established in District Policy. Douglas voted against because the $2.4 million was less than the requested $2.65 million. The board had previously approved $1.2 million of the amount so this was an increase of an additional $1.2 million - the amount of hold harmless money the district had been getting because of the reduction in funding as a result of Act 388.

In other action, the board approved the Administration's personnel recommendations by a vote of 5-0 (Sharp and Reid were not in attendance). Included in the recommendations was the appointment of Lesley King as an Assistant Principal for Northside Elementary School and Jill Pappas as an Assistant Principal for Rosewood Elementary School. Lesley most recently was at Robert E. Cashion Elementary School in Greenville, SC and Jill was at Red Hill Elementary School in Gypsum, CO.

Disrupting The System

Some interesting comments:

Click here for a link to the video.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

It's About Content!

The Rock Hill School Board recently voted to purchase a lot of IPADS. One of the reasons I voted against the purchase was I didn't feel enough effort had been put forth on how to utilize the devices. Why do I say that? For one, youtube was still blocked, preventing teachers from using great teaching resources such as the ones mentioned in the video below:
Click here for a link to the video.
Not making resources available  makes as much sense as buying a new automobile and just parking it in your driveway. Someone needs to find some gasoline and drive it.

From Edudemic Magazine:


How To Choose The Very Best Device For Your Classroom

The following is an excerpt from our upcoming issue of the Edudemic Magazine. We’ll be featuring just a few of the many articles over the coming days.
Look for this article and the full issue in the Edudemic iPad app very soon!
Chances are pretty good you’re reading this on an Apple iPad. It’s all the rage in education these days but it may not be exactly what you need. Sure, it may be what you want… but not what you need.
In fact, I’ve noticed more and more of my PLN and Twitter pals talking about how their BYOD students actually prefer Google Chromebooks over iPads.
Since Chromebooks were underwhelming when first unveiled, this comes as a bit of surprise. Edudemic has done some cursory coverage of Chromebooks but it seems like that needs to change.
So is it time for you to take Chromebooks seriously and think about deploying them? Are iPads really worth the premium price you’d pay for each device? Would you be better served by simple netbooks? What about the new Microsoft Surface tablet(s)?
Let’s try to answer all these questions (and a few more) so you can be as informed as possible about which device is right for you. We’ve developed a handy (and highly printable) chart that maps out what you need to know about each device as well as how it could integrate into your classroom.
We then polled our nearly 15,000 Twitter followers to find out what they look for in a device. Using that information, we extrapolated the most important questions that teachers should ask when considering deploying expensive technology into their classroom. Then we answered those questions as best we could. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for figuring out how the heck you should figure out what piece of tech is right for you.
After all, the web is cluttered with a few facts here, a few tidbits there, and takes a lot of Googling to understand it all. Since you’re one of the amazingly handsome and / or beautiful readers of Edudemic Magazine (or a reader of the Edudemic website of course!), we wanted to help you skip over the hours of searching and jump straight to the knowledge. So let’s begin.


Step 1 – What Devices Should You Consider?

There are a plethora of devices out there and they come in all shapes and sizes. Tablets, desktops, laptops, phones, and basically everywhere in between. They’re making phones that are meant to be used like tablets, laptops that could be desktops, and even tables (the original Microsoft Surface) that act like tablets. It’s beyond confusing and downright impossible to grasp enough details about each device to make an informed decision.
So we’ve scoured the web and created a curated list of products that we think would make a good fit into a classroom. We understand there are many other options out there so forgive us ahead of time for not including every possible option. Shoot us an email at edudemic@gmail.com and make a case for your product. We may feature it in the next issue of the magazine!
The Apple iPad has all the buzz and marketshare so it deserves a seat at the table. In addition, the Google Chromebook and new Chromebox should also be included. The not-yet-released Microsoft Surface Tablet is poised to make a big splash in education (depending on the price) and the more generic Netbook should also be considered. Finally, let’s consider the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 by Google.
These are by far the biggest and most popular devices currently in classrooms (or at least will be in the coming year) and gives us a terrific set of devices to choose from.
So what’s next?

Step 2 – POP QUIZ!

You didn’t think you would be able to leisurely read this article, did you? It’s time for a pop quiz so pencils down. I’ll be asking you some important questions that you should carefully consider before moving onto Step 3.
No cheating or looking at someone else’s answers.
1) What do you hope to accomplish by bringing technology into your classroom?
2) What is more important to you? Apps or device features? (For example, do you want a more robust app ecosystem or a high quality camera or screen?)
3) How comfortable are your students (and you) with technology in general?
4) What will you be using technology to accomplish? Project-Based Learning, studying, remote learning, etc.
5) What is the current level of IT support for technology in your school?

Want More?

Want to view the charts we’ve built? The next steps you should take? Tips and tricks about the devices we mentioned? Grab the Edudemic Magazine iPad app today and be sure to download the July issue when it’s available. Enjoy!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

66 Teacher Discounts

The site, Gift Card Granny, has a list of stores that will give teachers discounts. Click here to go to the site.

Friday, July 13, 2012

What a Child Prodigy Looks Like


Click here for a link to the video.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Tips For Starting Technology in School

Life of an Educator has a list of steps necessary for getting technology started in schools. Below are two which are often not utilized enough. Click here to see the rest.


6 - Use the largest, loudest, and most listened to group in the school - the students...

Invite and encourage students in your school to help teach and lead social media and technology sessions. Can you imagine a better way to get students more involved and engaged than this? This will also help educators to realize it is okay to not know all the answers. We can learn from students just as we expect them to learn from us. The students are and will continue to be a great resource that unfortunately, most schools never tap into...let's change that.

7 - Get constant feedback from your colleagues...

Just as educators use formative assessments to get feedback and information from students, we need to get feedback and information from our colleagues. Ask them how these new ideas are impacting their classrooms; ask them if they are using any of these tools to grow professionally; ask them if they see value in learning about technology and social media integration. You have to not only ask these questions, but you also have to respond to their answers. Simply asking the questions is not enough, you will need to change, modify, and adapt based on their responses. This is a vital key moving forward as you continue the technology revolution.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Rock Hill Teachers in China

Mrs. Legrand with high school students. Photo by Patrick Maness
Richmond Drive Elementary School (via Principal Patrick Maness) has been posting pictures and information about an experience some of their teachers are having in China. You can follow the story via Twitter at Richmond Drive Elementary (https://twitter.com/#!/RichmondDrive).
Mr. Mulcahey with students. photo by Patrick Maness
Over 40 teachers from Rock Hill are in China this month working with students to help their English and understanding of US culture.

Mrs Scheppegrell with students. Photo by Patrick  Maness
Some of the group will also be blogging about their experiences. Cassie Cagle has one called Southern Chopsticks.
Mrs. Morales with students. Photo by Patrick Maness
So, how is the Chinese student day different than one in Rock Hill?  How about starting school at 7 am and going until noon for lunch - then start back at 2:30 pm and going until 9 pm - then having  3 hours of homework. Did I mention the students clean the classroom at the end of the school day? 
The Number 24 School  in Shijiazhuang, China. Photo by Patrick Maness
Middle School Classroom with 60 Desks. Photo by Patrick Maness
It is interesting to note that our country (US) came to power with a belief in educating all  citizens. We developed the best higher education system in the world. Students came from all over to participate and learn. Now, while many countries offer free higher education, we are making ours so expensive that it is beyond reach for many - and - while  Chinese families value education as a path for prosperity, sending their child to school year-round and unbelievable hours in a day, our families are worried there is too much pressure on their children to succeed and want them to have 'fun'. Some of our leadership says that public education is the fault - and their solution is to cut funding - when the real reason is as close as the mirror in our homes.






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