Writing That Perfect College Letter of Rec

It's that time of year again - high school juniors are beginning to cautiously and humbly approach their favorite teacher for that all important component of the college application process  - "The Letter of Rec." Even English teachers struggle with this assignment, for it's difficult not to become cliché. How do you get past talking about how the student is "a great kid" or a "deep thinker" or "a classroom leader"? This week in The Atlantic writer Andrew Simmons offers advice on writing the perfect letter of recommendation.

Retirement at 65? Or Never ...

Retire? Me?

I've always joked to my students - and my wife - that I will be "pushing my walker" across the parking lot for as long as I am conscious ... and lucid. OK, maybe just conscious.  The idea of retiring just seems like something old people do. Of course, now, with the new economic uncertainty, "The Other Retirement Plan:" is to work past sixty-five. We've all seen the commercials lately - from every financial advisor in the business - asking us to guess the "amount of money" will need in retirement.  Few would guess correctly on how much that could be.

So, instead people must imagine that a life of leisure at sixty-five (of fifty-five for many public employees) just may not be in the cards. And, some may not want it to be - for, "there are only so many rounds of golf you can play. Is "75 the new 65"? It's possible that the Golden Age of the golden years may be past. And no one may ever retire again like the WWII generation and Baby Boomers were able to do.

And that's probably OK.

Amazing Race Is Back - All Stars 2014

Start your engines, Race fans, the Amazing Race is back in action with an All-Star cast returning once more to try their luck in a "race around the world." Season number 24 of the most popular and successful of reality TV shows kicked off tonight on the campus of UCLA and, after some brief drama and background, sent eleven teams off to GuaDong, China " in search of their next clue."

I have to admit I was a little disappointed that the Race is once again starting from Los Angeles. The producers need to mix it up a bit and consider some other departure cities. It's always fun to guess what Destination City will be, but it's become a bit tiresome for the contestants to always take off from LAX. As it stands, there was a bit of drama with one team facing a medical emergency to start the show. But how heartwarming for fellow Kentucky-an Mallory to join Mark after "Bopper" had to bow out for health reasons.

My early favorite is, once again, the Cowboys - Jett and Cord. They are fan favorites because they are just so darn sweet and such good competitors. It's been heartbreaking to see them lose twice. I was also thrilled to see the GlobeTrotters, Flight-time and Big Easy back. If they win, I won't be disappointed. Margie and Luke are also a heartwarming team, though Luke's emotional issues can be tough to watch when they weaken his chances. And, the father-son team of Dave and Connor would be a great win after they were forced out with an injury last time.

Leading the list of teams I don't want, the Sri Lankan girls met my hopes and expectations by going out in the first round. They are just so annoying and rude - I can't imagine why the producers thought anyone would want to listen to them "bitching" at each other for an hour every week. The Afghan-imals are also a bit crass and over-the-top. So, I won't be disappointed when their attitudes lead them to failure. Other teams like the YouTubers and the country singers are just so "ho-hum."

Regardless, it's nice to have Phil and the Racers back. Game on.

Is Walmart Calling for Higher Wages???

Regarding wages and the stagnation of the middle/working class, I once heard the most fascinating encapsulation of the irony that plagues corporate America:

Henry Ford knew he had to pay his workers well enough that

they could afford to buy a Ford;

Walmart, by contrast, pays its workers so poorly that

they have no choice but to shop at Walmart ...



And we could add to that, "draw food stamps and Medicaid." Is that all changing? This week, business writer Al Lewis investigates the strange and unexpected support of a hike in the minimum wage by retail behemoth, Walmart.

Note to the National Retail Federation: You can't keep fighting increases in the minimum wage and then wonder why consumers aren't spending more money in your members' stores.

 

"It's simple math--if the cost of hiring goes up, hiring goes down," said NRF Chief Executive Matthew Shay. He said this in a Jan. 28 news release opposing President Barack Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 by 2016.

But for low-wage retail king Walmart, it's not so simple. Corporate America, and many in the top 2%, have never seemed to understand that America is a demand driven economy, with consumer spending accounting for nearly three-quarters of the economy. Thus, if the bulk of workers don't have money to spend, corporate earnings will have to go down. And, while the top tier has been able to exploit and profit from low wages for decades, it may have reached the breaking point.

And, of course, this has huge implications for the education world as well. For, as schools and business leaders continue to promote a "College for all" mentality, voices are beginning to counter that "wisdom."  Millenial writer and social critic Matt Saccaro recommends that young people "not go to college," because the debt is not worth the payback. The argument for college has always been that college grads make more money.

So, perhaps the discussion should be about wages .... and not educational credentials.

Is ADHD Even a Real Condition - Or Is It Just Over-Diagnosed

No one who works in schools or has children is very far removed from discussions about Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD.  In fact, it has become a common excuse or punch-line for just about any instance of absent-mindedness or carelessness or shortcoming. It seems these days that nearly everyone has ADD or ADHD, and that's not too far removed from the truth. For, diagnosis of these conditions related to lack of concentration or focus have skyrocketed in recent years, especially among boys. And some are wondering if the education system is to blame.

As the diagnoses continue, and the research continues, and the problems continue, and the pressure to succeed in an increasingly standardized school system continues, Alison Gopnik, who writes the Mind & Matter column for the weekend Wall Street Journal, is wondering "Are Schools Asking to Drug Kids for Better Test Scores?"  This conclusion results from the increasing criticism of excessive diagnosis of young people. And, of course, most of the problems seem to be related to kids not "being able to sit down and pay attention" in school. Wow, this is new? That's actually a medical problem? Apparently, every boy between 4 and 18 has ADHD. Or so could be the conclusion that not toeing the line in school is a disease, or worse a mild form of mental illness.

The research on both sides is extensive, and it would take a MD and PhD to sift through it all and make sense of it. Which is exactly what Stephen Hinslaw and Richard Scheffler have attempted to do in their new book, The ADHD Explosion.

Capitalism with a Human Face - Some Work for Others

"But wouldn't you rather own your own business?

Those future-killing, dream-draining, naïve words represent some of the worst counseling I have heard given to young people in their formative years. Basically, students who have an interest - such as fixing cars or painting houses - are told that their goal is insufficient because they aren't going to be their own boss. So, instead of graduating high school and going to work full time in the area they enjoy, the students are shamed into enrolling in college classes that they have no interest in taking. It's not enough that a kid wants to be a mechanic - he has to get a business degree, so he can own his own shop. And, certainly, there is an argument to be made for inspiring kids to want a bit more. That shop owner will almost certainly make more money - and in some ways, I guess, not "work as hard."

However, this advice ignores some serious realities of the labor market and our economic system. Not everyone can own his own business, or all businesses would fail. There just isn't enough "business." And, so, advisors to young people should realize - and must understand - that the market will decide who rises to management. There are countless quality workers who would, and do, make terrible bosses and businessmen.  David Brooks of the New York Times develops a side of this issue in his discussion of "Capitalism for the Masses." Brooks uses the story - and the philosophy - of American Enterprise Institute president Albert Brooks to argue as he long has that business leaders have a moral responsibility to provide for the people who man their shops and factories.

Not everyone can or should be the boss. However, the foundation of capitalism must be that an individual can earn a decent living by have a valuable skill and working hard. It must not be that to be successful or prosperous or even moderately get by that everyone has to "move up the ladder." We know, or we should, that while the CEO who guides the company and the talented programmer/designer/engineer who create the products are of paramount importance, the people who actually manufacture, sell, deliver, and repair the devices are equally valuable.  The problem, of course, is that Dickensian business leaders have always seen the lower cogs as replaceable and, thus, not at all valued.

And that's a terrible model. 

College, Academic Standards, Welding, & Wages

"College graduates make more money than high school graduates."

Sadly, that is the one regular argument that schools, teachers, counselors, parents, business people, and the press make to students today. They should pursue a post-graduate degree because they will make more money. So, then, perhaps the problem we should be discussing about schools isn't really about schools at all. Perhaps the problem is about wages.  Of course, that means the conversation should shift - as so many have tried to do - to the value of skilled labor.

Wages are high when the work is skilled, in demand, rare, or highly valued. Thus, it's not that we should be encouraging students to "go to college" because that will earn higher wages. For, if we had countless, trained doctors and lawyers and accountants and programmers and statisticians and engineers, then the wages would no longer be so high. Simply going to college isn't going to guarantee anyone the higher wages that will lift them out of poverty. It's acquiring skills and knowledge and becoming valuable that will do that.

Years ago, Bill Gates argued that 80% of students should earn a bachelor's degree. And that just seems like an absurd statement for brilliant businessman. Clearly, the economy doesn't have that many high education jobs for that many people, and their knowledge and talents would simply be wasted. Instead, people should be responding to the market. That will prove to be more successful.

Gifted Kids - Are They Being Left Behind?

The basic premise of the Common Core national standards - and the associated national tests created by PARCC and SmarterBalanced (not the vegetable spread) - is to create common grade level expectations for all students to ensure equal access to a high quality education which will prepare them for college and careers. At least that's the premise. Of course that commonality and "standardization" is troubling to some in the education community, especially those who exceed the standards. Clearly, the quality of schools across the country - and even across cities and districts - has been varied. And there was a good chance that if a child moved schools, or states, he would arrive either behind or ahead of his peers. The problem, on the other hand, is that not all children arrive at school at the same levels, and not all children learn at the same pace.

One common mantra in the current controversy and debate about Common Core is that the standards are designed to "create a common floor," not a common ceiling. However, the standards in practice were bound to create challenges for sub-groups outside of the basic age-level expectations. This conflict received a sensationalized exposure in the past week after Chris Weller for Newsweek offered this claim: "America Hates Its Gifted Kids." The premise is that schools working toward the Core are inevitably going to slow down advanced learners. And, it's tough to argue that isn't happening as schools begin to move away from tracking or clustering of kids and instead maintain heterogeneous classes with the expectation that a teacher will "differentiate instruction" to meet all kids learning needs. It is a wonderful goal and theory, though some argue that differentiated instruction is dog that won't hunt.

Ultimately, kids don't arrive at school all at the same level, and not all arrive ready to learn. Certainly, not all learn at the same pace. And it's tough to argue for holding some learners back, or limiting options for advanced learners to progress. Certainly, people are aware of the controversy over where Common Core stops - algebra II.  That limit is what led Stanford math professor James Milgrim to refuse to sign off on the standards - because they do not prepare kids for top tier colleges and STEM careers.  I know as I began to prepare for state testing this week, I had to laugh at preparing basic level tests for students to take when they were clearly beyond them. For example, many middle school students are ready for - and even succeeding in - high school level math classes like geometry, algebra II/trig, and calculus. And, it is simply silly - and a huge waste of time - for ninth grade students taking calculus to waste their time doing a state or national test geared toward algebra and lower. They should be exempt. For, the only people their grades should be truly accountable to are their parents. So, while Weller is certainly over-the-top with his title, I am not so sure that CommonCore and PARCC aren't going to hold kids back and waste their time.

Who knows?  Age level grouping may be the next big challenge in schools.

The "Hechinger Ed" Look at Education

I am generally well-informed about the world of education policy, including the prominent voices in the discussion. From EdWeek to EdNext to Edudemic to HuffPo/Atlantic/WashPo education pages, I listen to many voices, and I often try re-frame and inform others from what I've learned. So, I was a bit surprised to discover another education voice offering an interesting perspective on the comparison of America to the schools of other nations, particularly Asian, specifically Singapore. Thanks to a tweet from edu-writer (and edu-punk) Anya Kamenetz, I've discovered the HechingerEd Blog, featuring the Hechinger Report. Check it out.

STEM Needs Help - STEM to STEAM

The value of the arts, design, innovation, creativity, and right brain thinking gets a boost this week in The Atlantic as education and parenting writer Jessica Lahey argues "STEM needs another letter." While STEM - the focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math - is getting all the press in education these days, many voices are beginning to raise the profile of the arts. The STEM to STEAM movement argues for a re-evaluation and re-organization of standards and pedagogy to promote an infusion of right brain thinking in a left brain education world. Ideas guru Daniel Pink has exquisitely articulated this in his best-selling non-fiction work A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will [and should] Rule the Future.

Is Six Years of High School the Answer?

 As some people talk about the idea of limiting seat time and not promoting college to all students, other people are exploring the idea of extending high school beyond the traditional four years. With concurrent enrollment opportunities expanding in high schools, more students are discovering the opportunity to graduate from high school with college credits, or even an associates degree. The next step is a model by which community college and high schools are joined in a single program. In the city of Chicago, major tech companies are joining forces to support six year high schools.

In Praise of Michael Sam - a Model NFL Player

It was a triumph of courage last week that Missouri defensive lineman and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam publicly announced he is gay. Sam, who is expected to be a top pick in the NFL draft next week, has shattered an illusion and a barrier about homosexuality. And one of the nation's most intolerant clubs - the NFL - will soon have to face the issue that many thought might never happen. A gay man will be - publicly - in a professional locker room. There have, no doubt, been countless gay men in all levels of locker rooms before … and this should be no different. Alas, there is "controversy."

Perhaps the two best responses to the announcement that I've seen have come from broadcasters unafraid to speak the truth. First this from Daily Show host Jon Stewart:

And, then there was an even more powerful statement out of the heart of Texas:

Dale Hansen said it all when he addressed the hypocrisy of a sports world that believes there is no room  for a gay man.  The NFL has long had a problem with the criminal, violent, and inappropriate behavior of its players. It is a problem they have attempted to address, though it's been slow going. And then some have the audacity to believe and even articulate that the presence of a gay player in the locker would somehow be destructive and inappropriate because it would make people feel "uncomfortable."

And that must change.

Congrats to you, Michael Sam - a man among boys.