The High Cost of Higher Education

As both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney continue to battle over who will better serve students and workers in preparing for their future, TIME Magazine has an excellent feature on the rising costs and changing face of higher education in this country.  Of interest to me is the role that government plays in subsidizing education and research - much to the ignorance of the average American.  I went to the University of Illinois, and most people I know went to public universities.  Additionally, many people I know who attended private universities did so with the help of government subsidized student loans.  In the years 2012, the average tuition and fees for a private school is $28,000 per year, while the average tuition and fees for a public university is roughly $8,500 per year.  So, the question you have to ask yourself is this: if you went to a public university or if you have kids who are attending college or plan to attend college, why would you ever support political candidates who seek to cut government funding for education by up to 20%?

Why?

A Longer or Just Different School Year

My school generally starts school during the week of August 20, has a one-week fall break in October, a two-week winter break in December, a one-week spring break in March, and lets out for summer by June 7.  It's quite a nice schedule - especially the addition of the fall break.  When I first moved to Colorado and discovered "fall break," I thought it was the greatest invention in the history of school schedules.  After nine or ten weeks to kick off the year, a week around Halloween was the perfect time to recharge.  I can't imagine ever going back to a "shorter" school year that starts around Labor Day and gets out by the end of May, but has shorter breaks during the year.  Summer is long enough as it is, and the quarterly breaks are great.

Now, as more school districts consider changes to the traditional schedule, decisions about breaks are beginning to drive the discussion.  That said, I am no fan of year-round school, and I am opposed to blanket statements that we simply need a longer school year.  However, a shorter summer break with extended fall, winter, and spring breaks makes all the sense in the world.  Summer vacation is a time-honored tradition in American culture, and it is one that should remain.  Summer is a time for extended camps and summer employment, leisure time and more athletic opportunities.  While we currently have one-week breaks in the spring and fall, I would gladly lop three weeks off the summer on either side, and take two weeks in fall, two weeks in spring, and three in the winter.  That would still leave eight or more solid weeks in the summer.

Nothing wrong with that.

The College and Education Bubble

It's no mystery that too many people are going to college.  With 29% of the country currently holding bachelor degrees or better, and unemployment a significant problem for them, especially if they just graduated, the conventional wisdom is that we need to re-think this obsession with college degrees.  Certainly, at a time that millions are out of work while millions of jobs in skilled labor go unfilled, the economy's long reliance on the college degree as credibility is passing.

With that in mind, Virginia Heffernan of Yahoo News offers her insights on How to Burst the College Bubble.  Heffernan's point is similar to many earlier criticisms of the college-degree-as-screening device made by people such as Charles Murray who wrote Real Education, and developed further with the work of Anya Kamenetz who published Generation Debt and DIY-U (Do It Yourself University).  In essence, the obsessive focus on college degrees has actually diminished the focus and value of education.  Heffernan looks forward - albeit quite quixotically - to a time when "you'd study not to get a credential .. but to improve your mind or acquire a skills, [much like] the reason you go to karate ... or yoga class."

The college degree as screening device has its merits - but employers could "devise their own tests to find valuable hires."  And the idea that a credential qualified someone, as opposed to a real demonstration of skill, would be lessened.  Or perhaps, as new platforms like Coursera propose, employers would emphasize the seat time on campus less than the acquisition of skills and knowledge.  Granted, there is still a legitimate argument for a classical education as the foundation of culture.  And the more well rounded people are, the more they generally contribute to society.  That said, we may be long overdue for a bursting of the College Bubble.

Don't Follow Your Passion - And Stop Telling Kids to Do That

Students come to school for more than just content knowledge - they are looking to figure themselves out and find their way in the world.  On a practical level, they are on a path to their career and future life.  However, some people lament the pressure on students to make "life decisions" at the age of seventeen or nineteen .... or twenty-six?  The problem for many kids is they don't know who they are or "what they want to do with their lives."  And, too many counselors and teachers and parents and friends offer the misleading advice to "follow your passion."

People like Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe and Georgetown professor Cal Newport disagree.

Years ago, I watched Mike Rowe's "Ted Talk" in which he said following his passion was "the worst advice I ever got.  Follow your passion and go broke, right?"  And I was always fascinated by his insight - especially because I did follow my passion.  In Rowe's opinion, some people should follow their passions, some people should follow their skills, and some people should just follow the market. Certainly, that is more practical than just telling all kids to "find something you love, and then find a job that pays you to do it."  That's actually pretty weak and useless advice.  And that sentiment has been furthered with a recent op-ed in the New York Times from a professor named Cal Newport and his new book called So Good They Can't Ignore You.  Cal writes about his decision to pursue a Ph.D. in his twenties instead of taking an exciting new job or taking an advance to publish his first book.

Cal Newport certainly has a lot of great insight about making life decisions, and his books and blog are certainly worth checking out.  I am impressed with the idea behind his book - though I haven't read it yet - because I was offering similar advice to my seniors today.  My thought today was Make Yourself Indispensable, and that has become a theme in much business writing these days.  People are going to need to adapt and become more multifaceted if they want to remain employable and successful.  And I will be recommending several of Newport's books to my students.  He published his first at the age of twenty-one about how to "do college."  And he has subsequently published other bits of academic advice:

How to Win At College: Surprising Secrets For Success from the Country's Top Students

How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Into College by Standing Out

How to Become a Straight A Student:  The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less 

Advice like Mike Rowe's and Cal Newport's cannot be emphasized enough - especially in the contemporary world of always changing technologies and markets.

The Amazing Race - Season 21 - Kicks Off In Los Angeles

OK, who doesn't know what an abacus is?

Fresh off its most recent Emmy Award for Best Reality TV, CBS' phenomenally successful "race around the world," The Amazing Race kicked off its twenty-first season in Pasadena, California tonight.  A quick opening challenge put the teams on the plane to Shanghai, China, and the race around the world has begun again.  I have to admit, though, I was disappointed by the opening city, as its becoming tiresome to begin in Los Angeles and then quickly hop over to China.  Granted, last season took off for Argentina as the first stop, and a couple seasons back, they left from Massachusetts.  But, in general, the Amazing Race leaves from LA and heads to Southeast Asia, and the whole thing is becoming cliche.  My family was predicting an East Coast start heading to Europe, and I was calling for a kickoff from Washington, D.C. to honor the presidential election.  Alas, it was not to be, and the teams were quickly out of LAX and on to China.

The teams are as eclectic - and strangely predictable - as always, and I don't see any real favorites yet.  Certainly, the winning team tonight - which was the dating divorced couple - ran a nice first leg.  And the Amazing Race creators have developed a fascinating new twist with a potential million dollar bonus if the first leg winner actually wins the whole race.  Now, the pressure is on this young couple.  And the big news - and bittersweet moment - from the opening is the couple from Crested Butte with the girl who survived debilitating injuries from meninigitis as a young woman.  At the moment that it counted most, the Colorado couple was out front and told a couple teams where to find the final clue - one team made them pay and ran them down for first place.  Certainly, it was hard to watch.  But they didn't have to share the information.  That's just the way the race goes.  Though it was tough to watch double amputee Amy struggle and get passed right before the pit stop.  Angst.

Beyond that, there were certainly some annoying situations for long time race viewers.  For example, you never simply follow a team without first getting your clue, as the Chippendale dancers did.  They lost valuable time by running after a team before they had their final clue.  And, it was tough to see the monster truck driver make the mistake of not reading the clue - and being forced to eat a double dose of the frogs' fallopian tubes.  Retch!  But that's a standard practice for the Amazing Race.  Always read your clue closely.  I mean, really.  Who doesn't know these basic practices.  And I don't care about the intensity of the race and making rash decisions.  If you watch regularly, you know to play the game prudently.  Certainly, the old couple lost after their ill-fated trip to the Bank of China. They even commented how fortunate they were to get that tip - and it cost them the entire race.  Oops.

I have to say that I still lament the loss of Elimination Station on the website last season.  It was one of our favorite parts of the show, and I still would like to see it return.  Regardless, it's nice to see the return of The Amazing Race.  Who's your favorite?

Seoul Sausage Wins The 2012 Great Food Truck Race

The Food Network's Great Food Truck Race of 2012 aired its finale tonight from the coast of Maine, and, as it should have been, the boys from Seoul Sausage reined victorious over the spirited girls from Nonna's Kitchenette.  For the second year in a row, the Great Food Truck Race was won by a trio of Korean guys cooking up American food truck versions of Korean specialties like Korean BBQ and fried kimchi balls.  That's saying something about the culinary tastes of the growing food truck culture - and it says something about the culinary chops of these young men.  This year, the winner was never really in doubt from also the first week.  Though the boys of Seoul Sausage almost always failed to win the truck stop challenges, what really mattered in the end was the ability to consistently put out good food and draw the crowds.  That's the secret of the food truck culture, and these boys should be proud that they have made a career decision which has been validated from coast to coast in seven different cities.

The girls from Nonna's certainly have nothing to be ashamed of, though they are obviously not as polished as the boys from Seoul Sausage.  I'd bet these girls could find some backing and get enough support to make a go of it in food truck culture on their own.  Certainly, it would have been nice to have the initial investment taken care of - a fully furnished food truck and $50K is going to set the Korean lads up well for success.  However, 99.9% of people who establish successful food trucks don't win a contest and have the foundation set up for them.  So, the gals from Jersey should simply take a lesson and understand that they do have what it takes to make it in the food business.  Of course, it's worth noting that they were actually much farther behind Seoul Sausage than Tyler Florence made it seem.  While Tyler says they lost by $103, it was actually a loss by $603.  They won a challenge that gave them a huge financial bonus - and that perk doesn't exist in the business world.  So, even when Tyler said they were within five dollars of each other, it was never really that close from a business world perspective.

Regardless, this turned out to be a satisfying season for the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race.  I'll admit that when the season started, I didn't like they idea of having novices compete for their own food truck.  I wanted to see skilled food trucks duke it out.  However, the concept has grown on me, and I am thrilled that the Food Network is supporting aspiring chefs, instead of already established ones, with this format.  Even the boys from Pop-a-Waffle learned they can compete in the food truck business - and despite my criticism of their food quality and ... appearance, I hope they pursue their dream as well.

Congrats to the boys of Seoul Sausage.  You made your parents proud.  Good luck to Nonna's as well. And hats off to the Food Network for another great show.  Now, some more of Jeff the Sandwich King.  And more on healthy and quality cuisine.

Jim McMahon & Concussions & Dementia & NFL Safety

Jim McMahon was the larger-than-life professional athlete of my youth.  The headband-wearing Chicago Bears quarterback was a rock star in shoulder pads, and he defined toughness and cool.  I can still recall the images of him being upended and spun around by blitzing linebackers, and his toughness and attitude endeared him to millions of fans, especially young teen males.  And, so the news of Jim McMahon's early onset dementia and the fading of his shining personality is a bit of sadness that takes away the innocence of football fans.  The curtain has been pulled back, and now we are gaining some insight into the incredibly high price paid by these gladiators of the contemporary age.

A needless price that is too high.

In a series of recent profiles and interview pieces, Jim McMahon and his wife have revealed that he is suffering from dementia at the age of 53.  As one of the hundreds of former NFL players that is currently suing the league for not more effectively warning them of the dangers and working to protect players, McMahon has recently said that given the choice again, he would have never played football.  That is a shocking and sad assertion by one of the league's most colorful personalities.  If anyone lived the dream of the NFL player, it was the crazy, competitive, irreverent, and lively Jim McMahon. He was the Chicago Bears.  He was the Super Bowl Shuffle.  Everyone wanted Jim McMahon on their team - and this was the days before Fantasy Football.

Now, he's a shell of a man.  And it doesn't have to be this way.

The lawsuit by NFL players and the increasingly serious news of concussions and their long-term effects have generated discussion of how the sport of football will proceed.  And, it's filtering all the way down to the Pop Warner and high school leagues.  In fact, some articles report that the number of high school players participating in football is dropping for the first time anyone can remember.  Are parents and kids rethinking the risks of a few weeks of Friday night glory.  I know I am quite glad my son is a baseball and basketball player, as well as a distance runner.  I would not want my son playing the sport - though I must admit the hypocrisy of being a serious fan of the game.  Of course, I am not opposed to changes to increase safety.  And, I am actually a proponent of the most serious  and effective rule changes on the table.  If football wants to make its sport safer ...

Ban the helmet.

It's really that simple.  Football needs to return to its origins and get rid of helmets.  For, it's no surprise to anyone that helmets give a false sense of security.  No one without a helmet is going to being willing to smash his bare head against another body.  That's the beauty of rugby.  And it was the beauty of football in the early days.  By getting rid of helmets, the game will inherently become more athletic and less about brute force.  Additionally, football leagues should move to ban the three-point stance.  By requiring offensive and defensive lineman to begin plays in an upright position, they will be less able to propel themselves forward into head-smashing situations.  Ultimately, this will be good for the game.  More importantly, it will honor and respect the safety of the young men who sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment.

So, in the name of a fading Jim McMahon - and hundreds of other nameless men suffering - ban the helmet.  Ban the helmet and save football.

Conservatism and the Problem for Mitt Romney and the GOP in 2012

Being an unaffiliated independent voter who generally splits between Democrats and Republicans while looking for the most moderate and pragmatic legislators I can find, I have watched the implosion of Mitt Romney's campaign and the resilient nature of President Obama's administration with absolute fascination.  At times like this I look to the moderate voices on conservatism and politics, trying to sift through the white noise of ideology and campaigning.  As I noted recently with the recent national polls - and conservative commentary backlash - on Mitt Romney, I have tried to explain how it's not about Mitt - it's about the message.

Conservatism is struggling to find a voice among the moderate middle voters, even though they naturally and consciously veer to the right.  The problem is well articulated by David Brooks this week in the New York Times with his insightful commentary The Conservative Mind.  Most outspoken Republicans these days will actually miss the allusion in Brooks' title to the seminal work by Russel Kirk, an iconic figure in the annals of American conservatism.  And, that is the problem.  The flippant free-market ranters of the conservative right these days have little in common with the roots of conservatism among people like Kirk and Edmund Burke.  The conservative mind is about believing and supporting the traditional institutions that are the foundation of civilization - as Brooks notes, the conservative wants to preserve a society that functioned as a harmonious ecosystem, in which the different layers were nestled upon each other: individual, family, company, neighborhood, religion, city government and national government.

Conservatism is not about opposing or having contempt for government.  In fact, the conservative knows the integral role government plays in restraining the irrational and primal side of the individual that puts the entire society at risk.  And, granted, the conservative values liberty above most things, and he worries about collectivism and cultures of dependency.  But there is little faith among the conservative for the "unbridled free market," which puts society as at much risk.  The social and financial inequality that results is not good for civilization.  Conservative blogger Rod Dreher (read and alluded to by Brooks) also argues for this pragmatism and cites the Ten Conservative Principles developed and articulated by Russel Kirk.  These are ideas that are worth reviewing - and Dreher's work with The American Conservative should be regular reading for the average Republican.

Certainly, checking in at The American Conservative from time to time is worthwhile - for it is the best explanation the GOP is going to find for Why Romney Is Losing.  I would like to see the GOP shift back to the thinking of people like Kirk and Burke and Disraeli and Brooks and Dreher.  But I don't hold out hope.  Thus, I continue to be stuck by the problem of not being overly thrilled with the Obama Presidency yet being repelled by the Romney Campaign.

Troubling.

Messy Classrooms & Sloppy Professionalism

Some may like us to believe that "A messy desk is a sign of a genius."  The question for the education profession is whether a messy classroom is a reflection on the instruction or the quality of the teacher.  Having taught for many years in several schools, I have seen it all when it comes to classroom design and maintenance.  And, I am always baffled - and rather put off - by the classrooms that reflect the scattered nature of a student's locker or a teenager's bedroom.  In a basic sense of professionalism, there would seem to be no justification for books haphazardly left on the floor or loose papers strewn across the desk, bookshelves, and corners.  Such a disregard for order and decorum seems to imply a casualness that could be perceived by students as less than serious.

Granted, I am a bit OCD in the way I like my classroom and desk.  In fact, years ago a colleague came in to my classroom to chat and paused, looking carefully at my desk.  "You live," she told me, "in a right-angle world."  And, my room is rather neat an orderly, though not lacking in character and some form of decoration.  Though that would seem to create and reflect the kind of order that is necessary for a learning environment.  Students, it seems without doubt, need structure in their lives and classes.  In fact, the classroom and school are sometimes the only order they can count on.  Beyond that idea though, there should be an expectation that teachers rooms are tidy.

Pop-A-Waffle Exits Great Food Truck Race

In the run-up to the finale of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race, the three teams of Seoul Sausage, Nonna's Kitchenette, and Pop-A-Waffle rolled into Cleveland for the semi-final challenge.  In a victory for culinary tastes and modest, healthier waist lines, Pop-A-Waffle will not be rolling back out of Cleveland.  The rather schlubby guys from Los Angeles were finally eliminated, despite winning the truck stop challenge and being given three hours to sell food while the other two trucks were shut down.  Thankfully, that did not give them an advantage for their unappealing and certainly far-from-healthy food.

During the entire season of this Great Food Truck Race, I have been disappointed by the mediocre and unappealing food put out by a group of three guys who look so unhealthy I wouldn't buy a paperclip from them.  The entire chicken-n-waffle concept is far too Paula Dean for a show which is hosted by Tyler Florence - and for a network that employs some of the top chefs and high cuisine.  Certainly, none of the contestants are making the healthiest food this season - but the concept of waffles with whipped cream out of a can is just really disappointing.  And the men in the waffle truck need to hit the gym and Weight Watchers for about six months before they decide to start shilling for waffle business again.

Fortunately, the finale for the Great Food Truck Race will be two trucks with people who actually know how to cook, and can serve up some quality cuisine.  The odds-on favorite is clearly Seoul Sausage, who has consistently won week after week with a dependable formula.  These Korean guys know how to run a food truck, and they should be proud.  However, the girls from Nonna's can certainly give them a challenge, and it should be an interesting finale.

As an added bonus to the Sunday night line-up, this episode of the Great Food Truck Race was followed by the premiere of the Food Network's $24 in 24, featuring Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King.  Jeff is branching out with a new show featuring inexpensive but great food from cities around the country.  I am excited about this show - which premiered in Jeff's hometown of Chicago.  And, I am really hoping this can provide a relief from the endless replays of Guy's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  Jeff the Sandwich King has Guy-like star power, and hopefully this show takes off and generates some more press - and a better time slot - for Jeff the Sandwich King.

*UPDATE - For info on Season 4 premiering Sunday, August 18, check here.

Is It About 47%-ers, or 1%-ers?

How quickly the class warfare discussions have shifted - away from President Obama's plans to tax the super-rich - and on to Mitt Romney's apparently clueless remarks about some ambiguous group that makes up 47% of the electorate, doesn't pay income taxes, feels like a victim, feels entitled to health care and a job and a house, and wasn't going to vote for Mitt Romney anyway.

Governor Romney has made a serious mistake and miscalculation about percentages - and is being painted by even some in his own party as a derisive plutocrat.  There are several ways to parse the 47% that Mitt may be talking about.  For one, roughly 46% of the population identifies as Democrats, or Republicans, with about 38% voting that way all the time.  So, Romney is correct that a certain percentage of people will never vote for him because it's about party and ideology.  Additionally, there is a common notion - from a study by the Brookings Institution - that 46% of Americans don't pay an "federal income tax."  The reasons vary - as some are fixed income seniors and others are working poor who have their burden erased the Earned Income Tax Credit (a tax credit widely supported by many in the GOP, including W. Bush).

The problem for Romney is that he has assumed the 46-47%-ers who won't vote from - and those who don't pay income taxes - are the same group.  And that's far from the truth.  It negates all the Republicans in all the Red States who currently don't pay income taxes and do receive government benefits.  And it confuses the many Democrats who pay plenty in taxes and would never vote for Mitt Romney for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the elite, plutocratic view that leads to making inane statements like Romney has been making.

There is No Health Care in the United States

As I continue to observe people with incredibly poor diets living unhealthy lifestyles with very little attention to exercise, I've concluded that there is very little health care in this country.  People are not taking care of their health - and they are absolutely shameless about it.  Currently, Americans seem to be completely up in arms about the health care crisis - whether that means access or costs.  But there is little talk about the role personal responsibility plays in this area.

Roughly, 80% of health care spending the in United States - that's eight out of every ten health care dollars - goes to treat chronic illnesses that can be completely or predominantly treated with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.  Hypertension, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, joint problems, back problems, type-2 diabetes and all the associated liver and kidney problems:  these are all  lifestyle diseases.

If Americans would cut out the sodas and unhealthy snacks, walk thirty minutes a day, and weight trained a couple times a week, America's health care costs could be cut dramatically.  Dare I say, we could cut wasteful "health care" spending in half.  Medicare and Medicaid would be in much better shape because we could be consuming far fewer services.  And, this should appeal to people of all status and ideology.  Personal responsibility needs to be part of the health care discussion.  And we all do have an interest (financial) in the eating and exercise habits of others.

As Michael Pollan says,

Eat food.

Mostly vegetables.

Not too much.

And take a walk.