A Safe Walk to School in Chicago

As I was reading this article, I remembered walking to and from school and never having to worry about being attacked verbally or physically. I applaud Chicago for creating a safe environment for children to walk to school by providing safety monitors along the route.  Although there are critics of the money being spent, I feel it is a step in the right direction if it increases the retention rate of the at-risk students that would otherwise not attend school out of fear of being hassled by those involved in gangs or other illegal activity.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754964

Education reduces blood pressure

This is an interesting article that relates to a study that was done on the root causes of high blood pressure in men and women.  It states that high blood pressure is highest among uneducated people who are single parents, have low paying jobs, inadequate housing, and health insurance.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12577353

This is one of those instances when an interesting article leaves you with more questions than answers.

Jill's Blog: MACUL Conference

Jill's Blog: MACUL Conference: "Anyone attending? This is my first time at the conference. Any do’s or don’ts that you would like to share are more than welcome."

Last year about 15 of my collegues went to the conference. There were nothing but postives comments about everything. They came back and shared everything they learned at a PD day. I wished I could have went. I think you are going to love it.

RMatthews - Tech: Teaching our children to be the best that they can...

RMatthews - Tech: Teaching our children to be the best that they can...: "Every day I look around and view the world that we live in and how different it has become. I see children out and about. I see ..."

I totally agree. It seems like alot of parents in today's world do not care at all about the well being of their children. When parents treat their children like they don't care or exist, I believe this is abuse. These children depend on the adults in their lives for guidance and support, and how horrible it must feel to not get that from the people in their lives they are closest to. It saddens me.

Watson's Blog: Surgical Procedures

Watson's Blog: Surgical Procedures: "I'm not sure how many of you are interested in viewing different types of surgical procedures or using them in your classrooms, but I have h..."

Sounds very interesting. I will check out the site and let you know what i think, but I can already tell you that I'm sure I will love it. What an awesome way to teach your students, seems very motivating.

Ten States Running Out of Smart People

This is an article that I obtained from 24/7 Wall Street in which they looked at  NAEP scores 2003-2009 in Math and Reading.  They noticed a decline in scores, number of people with bachelor degrees, and fewer residents who hold white collar jobs.  I find it interesting that Colorado was number one, and Michigan was number two as states with the greatest decline. In studies like this one, it is hard to attribute the decline to one or two factors, but it could explain the unemployment rate in those areas.  Certain states have jobs that need to be filled, but have high unemployment rates because the residents don't have the necessary skills to fill them.
http://247wallst.com/2011/02/07/the-ten-states-running-out-of-smart-people/

Oregon High School Threatens to Suspend Students for Cursing

This is an interesting way of handling students who express themselves by using profanity.  If the State approves of the way he is handling it, I for one hope that it catches on.  Some students don't seem to mind that adults hear them cursing.  Maybe if they learn how to conduct themselves in the schools, it will carryover to the workplace.