Tips for graduating seniors on their way to college

Posted on 31. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education

Here are some of the best tips I’ve seen for graduating seniors, along with favorite excerpts from each:

• 10 Things Students Need to Know About College But Don’t
  “Two thirds of the work is done at home.”
• The 15 Habits of Top College Students
  “Don’t kid themselves. For instance, when you think you’re studying but you’re really tweeting about how you barely survived your bonfire-jumping last night. Or when you’re alternating between reading the E-article and checking out your friend’s Facebook page every eight seconds or so.”
• Top 10 Things You’ll Discover at College
  “No one tells you what to do. Gone are teachers who will remind you umpteen times to do your homework and be ready for the Civil War test next Friday. Now you’re on your own.”
• What You’ll Wish You’d Known
  “But if you’re trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy, the other one is probably right.”

My poor kids. I send them stuff like this all the time. I even have reminders to send it to them when they graduate high school and the month before they enter college. If only I could be guaranteed they’d read it and take it to heart.

What is this in the back of the pickup truck?

Posted on 30. May, 2009 by kchristieh in history

As seen around noon today on the 210 Freeway by Seco St. What is it? It looks like an antique jail on wheels.

Help name my new Los Gringos Locos salad

Posted on 29. May, 2009 by kchristieh in food

We had our second salad tasting this week, and we’ve come up with a winner! Loyal readers will recall that I won the privilege to create a dish at Los Gringos Locos in La Canada at the LCF Educational Foundation live auction back in March. Whenever Los Gringos sells that dish, the Foundation will get $1. Jody P. and I returned this week for our (hopefully!) final tasting, and we were quite pleased. I decided to make a non-iceberg lettuce salad, since this would fill an essential gap in the Los Gringos menu. The salad we came up with consists of incredibly tasty marinated grilled chicken strips tossed with avocado, pico de gallo, shredded queso, onions, Romaine lettuce and a creamy dressing on a grilled cheese quesadilla.

Here’s what it looked like the other day before we dug in. We asked Bent H. to not toss nearly as much salad dressing with it, so the final version should have less dressing than this does.

What should I name it? KC-dilla? Hernan-salada?

Join the “No 710 Tunnel” Facebook group

Posted on 28. May, 2009 by kchristieh in local news, politics

I’ve created a “” Facebook group. Please join!

The 710 Freeway Tunnel: No need, no desire, and no money

Posted on 27. May, 2009 by kchristieh in local news

Last night, CalTrans held its first informational meeting in La Canada regarding potentially extending the 710 Freeway via a tunnel under South Pasadena to connect to the 210 Freeway.

• Did they ask if we want this? No.
• Do they know if they can even fund this? No.
• Did they show that they’ve re-examined whether the region’s transportation needs are the same as they were over 40 years ago when this was first proposed? No.

These would be good questions to ask first before spending any time and effort on the project. Instead, CalTrans has already spent millions on geological studies to determine if this project is feasible, and last night they sent the geologists out to show us rock core samples and pictures of amazing tunnels all over the world.

Of the 200 or so people who attended, I only heard two that weren’t opposed to the project. Mayor Laura Olhasso very eloquently explained that La Canada already paid a heavy price when the 210 Freeway was built in the 1970’s. The city lost over 500 homes, and the freeway bisected the heart of the city. Not only that, but 12 local schools and preschools sit within a quarter mile of the freeway, thus exposing our children to excessive pollutants and irritants. This problem has been exacerbated since the 210 was extended out to San Bernardino. Mayor Olhasso stated the statistics I cite in my previous post, and said that we don’t want to pay an even higher price in health, traffic and safety than we already have. She also said that the price of the project would be in the billions of dollars.

I felt a little bad for the geologists and PR people, who looked like they were caught off-guard by an audience that was double the size of all their appearances combined to-date. On the other hand, a few were a bit condescending, so my sympathy only goes so far. Audience members were asking very direct, intelligent questions, and it was frustrating when CalTrans didn’t have the answers or didn’t think they needed to have them. It was also silly that they kept claiming that their mandate was merely to explore how to complete the 710 freeway, even if it meant building an 11-mile tunnel through a Superfund site east to the 605 Freeway. Puhleaze! We’re not stupid. Let’s be honest: this is about connecting to the 210 Freeway. Don’t waste our time or money exploring options that are never going to be considered.

It turns out that CalTrans is considering a private/public partnership for this project. That’s why we need to be concerned. They might actually find the money to fund it.

Hopefully CalTrans will hold more useful meetings in the near future, and will listen thoughtfully to what the public has to say. Hopefully even more elected officials will attend, and hopefully the public will galvanize in even greater force to stop this.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow I plan to start a Facebook group to act as a clearinghouse for information. In the meantime, here are some links to investigate:

• To join the Mayor’s distribution list, send a no-message email to
• South Pasadena’s Historic Opposition to a Surface Extension (City of South Pasadena website) Note: There are many more useful links at the bottom of this page.

Don’t let CalTrans put a tunnel under South Pasadena

Posted on 26. May, 2009 by kchristieh in local news

I was happy at first when the 210 Freeway was extended to San Bernardino a few years ago. It made it easier to visit my mother and stepfather, and to vacation in the desert. But elation quickly turned to dismay as the volume of truck and car traffic through La Canada increased nearly overnight, bringing with it more noise, accidents and pollution.

La Canada paid a steep price when the 210 Freeway was built right through the heart of the city, and each year it’s paid an increasingly high price as traffic on the freeway has increased.

We’ll pay an even higher price if CalTrans proceeds with its plan to extend the 710 Freeway by building a tunnel under South Pasadena. If that freeway is finally completed, it will provide an unbroken route through La Canada to and from the Port of Los Angeles, and traffic studies show that traffic through La Canada would likely increase by 25%.

There’s a big part of me that thinks this is so ridiculous it will never happen. After all, they’re talking about spending billions of dollars in the midst of one of the state’s and the nation’s worst economic crises. But this is the same agency that didn’t stop big rigs from traveling on Angeles Crest Highway through the mountains, so I wouldn’t put it past them.

Come to the CalTrans informational meeting tonight at Lanterman Auditorium at 6:30 pm to voice your concern.

After all, with the new math,

Resources:

Editorial by La Canada Valley Sun Editor Carol Cormaci
Memo – City Council 5-11-09 – 710 Tunnel Traffic Study.pdf

Letter from Mayor Laura Olhasso:

CalTrans will hold an informational meeting in LCF to update our residents about the 710 Tunnel Technical Study.  As you know, the latest idea to link the 710 freeway with the 210 is to dig the widest tunnel ever built in the world so that all traffic, including trucks coming from the port, will be able to continue on the 710 to the 210 up to the 5 and points north.  This meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Lanterman Auditorium (4491 Cornishon).  The tunnel will hugely increase truck traffic through our town and have an accompanying devasting impact on noise and air pollution.  It is imperative that our residents understand these impacts and voice their concerns.  The attached memo gives further details about the projected traffic impacts.  I hope many, many people will turn out on May 26 to show CalTrans just how important this issue is to us.  Feel free to forward this email to anyone you think would be interested.

In addition, for those who cannot attend, letters may be sent directly to CalTrans:
Will Kempton, Director
CalTrans
P.O. Box 942873
Sacramento, CA  94273-0001
AND
Doug Failing, District 7 Director
CalTrans
100 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA  90012

If you write letters, please email the city a copy as well at so that we may have it for our records.

When the 210 Freeway was built through the very middle of our town, La Canada lost over 300 homes.  We have done our part for transportation in the area.  Please help us say NO to the tunnel.

Thank you for your help.
Laura Olhasso
Mayor

Separated at birth: Spock and Obama

Posted on 17. May, 2009 by kchristieh in art, politics

When the new Star Trek movie was released last weekend, there was a rash of articles comparing the cool demeanor and brilliant minds of Spock and Barack Obama. The best part of these articles was the morphed pictures.
Here are my favorites:
Here’s the first one I saw, from Maureen Dowd’s article. As she says, “Mr. Obama is also a control freak who learned to temper, if not purge, all emotion. But as a young man of mixed blood, he was more adept than Young Spock at learning to adjust his two sides to charm both worlds, and to balance his cerebral air with his talent for evoking intense emotion.”
Princess Sparkle Pony “I STILL keep track of Condoleeza’s hairdo so you don’t have to!” has another great version on her blog. She was ahead of the curve, and blogged about the Spock-Obama connection back on October 17th. Impressive!
Here’s a great one done in the style of Shepard Fairey. Ironically, it’s on a blog called “Bad Spock Pictures.”My favorite part is the pin on his lapel.
One of the best Spock-Obama pictures is the caricature that Drew Friedman drew last fall for the New Yorker showing Obama as Spock and McCain as Kirk. Perhaps this summarizes why Obama won.
Live long and prosper!

Los Gringos Locos taste-testing progressing well

Posted on 16. May, 2009 by kchristieh in food, my life, non-profits

Loyal readers will recall that I was the highest bidder on THE coolest live auction item at this year’s LCF Educational Foundation Gala: the opportunity to develop and name a new dish at Los Gringos Locos. Los Gringos will will donate $1 to the Educational Foundation each time someone orders it for the next year.

I’m choosing to develop a new salad. I’ve found that most Mexican restaurants make weak salads that primarily consist of iceberg lettuce, corn, olives, cheese and Italian dressing. Bleah!

Jody P. was at Friday morning’s PTSA meeting, and kindly agreed to join me at lunch that day for the first taste-testing session. It turns out she’s quite a foodie, is very decisive, and has similar taste to mine. The perfect choice! Plus, we had fun talking while Bent H. prepared more items for us to test.

Our first step was to determine which lettuce and salad dressing to use. We quickly ruled out spring mix: even though we like it, we didn’t think it would have universal appeal. The watercress was ok, but too strong for the salad we envisioned. We didn’t have a strong preference for either the romaine or the mixed greens, as both were wonderful. They’re both still in the running.

As for the salad dressings, the tequila dressing in the upper right wasn’t very good, and the one next to it tasted too common. The yellow one on the lower left was tasty but had a little too much kick to it, and needed to be a bit more tangy. Bent’s going to tweak it for the next tasting. The white creamy one on the lower right was very good, flavorful but not too spicy. We’ll compare it to the revised yellow dressing next time.

Next we decided what to put the salad on top of. I was too busy eating and forgot to take a picture of our options before we dug in! Bent made us several versions of sopa, some grilled, some not, some thick, some thin. We liked them, but we didn’t love them. They also didn’t seem very healthy, and we weren’t sure most patrons would know what they were ordering.

On the other hand, the grilled quesadilla was wonderful. Not the most unique base, but it was really good, so that’s what we decided to use. We thought that grilled chicken would taste better and be healthier than shredded chicken, and Bent’s marinated grilled chicken was perfect on the first try.

Our next step will be to determine what to put on top of the salad. We’ll test mango salsa, and see how avocados, queso, tomatoes, olives and other toppings taste on the salad.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Why I’ve fallen in love with Netflix

Posted on 16. May, 2009 by kchristieh in movies

After listening to “The Story of Stuff” video, (which I’ll blog about when I have more time) I’ve decided not to have Etsy Fridays anymore. No need to promote using up our environment more. Not that I’m a saint in that regard, but I might as well not promote it.

To that end, today I’ll gush about my new Netflix membership. For $8.99 a month, we get unlimited movies streamed to our television, plus one DVD mailed to us each month. I don’t think we’ll bother with the DVD: the streaming is amazing.

Here’s how it works:

• After signing up with Netflix, I rated movies that I’ve seen by clicking on anywhere from 1 – 5 stars. I also told Netflix what genres I like. (e.g., I like drama, but not martial arts) So far I’ve rated nearly 400 movies.
• Netflix recommends movies that it thinks I’ll like in various categories. When I mouse over them, I see a description of the movie.
• I can click on the movie, and add it to my queue.
• When I turn on my tv and go to Tivo, the movies are there. When I click on it, it takes about 30 seconds to start.

It’s that simple. Tonight my husband and I watched “The Visitor.” I’d never heard of it until Netflix recommended it, and it was fantastic. I can’t wait to see more recommended movies!

Here are some that it’s currently recommending. There are many, many more.

How to survive sending your child to college

Posted on 14. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education, parenting

I have two high schoolers – a sophomore and a junior – so I truly appreciated today’s college panel at Parent Ed. Our instructor moderated a panel of five mothers of college students, and asked them questions about what to expect when your kid leaves for college.

Here are a few things they said:

• Your family will change once your child leaves for college. It may get quieter or crazier once they leave, depending upon who’s still home, but it’s likely to be different. Also, don’t assume you’ll spend the whole time pining for Junior: several moms said they’ve enjoyed getting to spend more time with their husbands and appreciate the freedom they have to go on vacations and out to dinner whenever they wish.
• The actual first dropoff at school can be difficult. The mother of a Westmont student said that Westmont has a tradition where new freshmen walk up the hill as bagpipers play “Amazing Grace” and people cheer, and then when they graduate they do the same but walking down the hill. She said she would have lost it if she hadn’t seen another kid’s parents totally blubbering. I can barely hear “Amazing Grace” under the best of circumstances without crying, and for that reason have actually written into my will NOT to play that at my funeral. But I digress. Anyway, after the bagpipes play, parents are asked to leave campus within 30 minutes. Yes, that much emotion in that short a timespan would be tough.
• Don’t expect to have a slow, meaningful dinner after you help your child set up his or her dorm room. They’re going to want to meet new friends. It’s best to have that dinner before you arrive on campus.
• Don’t freak out when your kid calls you and makes it sound like the world is about to end. Chances are that within a few hours they’ll be fine. If not, then try to distinguish between a temporary setback and a bigger issue.
• Be on the same page as your child’s other parent. If Junior’s freaking out and wants to come home, and you want to make him stay, make sure the other parent isn’t on Expedia buying the plane ticket back home.
• Don’t let your child have a car at school freshman year. They don’t need it, and colleges generally discourage it anyway. If they do have a car, expect that they will become an airport shuttle service, or worse, a party shuttle service.
• Make sure you talk to your kid about all the difficult but important topics you can think of (i.e., sex, drugs, drinking). This is one of your last best chances to do so. Make sure they know to never accept an open soda can or drink punch.
• Warn them that one of the dangers of playing beer pong is that they can catch mono by sharing cups.
• Don’t expect a big college to inform you if your child is skipping class or having a problem.
• Give your child space so that they can learn to be independent. If you feel like you aren’t communicating enough, try texting. Also, you might want to set up a time each week that you can talk. On the other hand, some kids will call you all the time as they walk between classes.
• Make sure your child knows how to do laundry and balance finances before leaving for college.
• Be sure your child knows what to do if he has a bad roommate or gets sick.
• Most kids will switch majors at least once.
• Although it’s helpful to visit schools before your child applies, don’t sweat it if they don’t. Several parents said they were glad they didn’t waste money on expensive East Coast college trips because their child wound up falling in love with a school in California or Oregon.
• Support your child’s college choice. Wherever they choose, someone will criticize his or her choice. Make sure they know not to take that personally, and that you’re happy they found somewhere they’re excited about. And if they’re not excited at some point, that will probably pass as they make more friends.
• Each time your child returns for break, they’ll probably be different. (Hopefully in increased maturity!) Make sure you lay some expectations out regarding curfews, laundry, working, etc. so everyone’s on the same page. Watch out that you’re not too tough on them, or they may not want to return in the future.
• If you’re religious, keep your child in your prayers. They’ll need it.

I’m sure I’m missing something, since I wasn’t taking notes. Do you have any advice to add?

Apparently our school college counselor puts on a program like this, but with college kids on the panel and aimed at high school students and their parents. I’ll keep an eye out for that this fall!

Playground Surfaces: How far we’ve come. Or not.

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education, my life, parenting, work

When my kids were in their early elementary school years, there was a rash of serious injuries caused by kids falling from their school’s play equipment onto the sand surface beneath. Committees convened, research was conducted, and parents implored the school and district administration to make the playground safer.

At one point, the school superintendent said she didn’t care what parents said. Ooooh – you.don’t.say.that.to.us!!

That’s when I joined the fight. I had more free time than ever, since eToys had just imploded, and my website design business was still in its infancy. I linked arms with other mothers and fathers as news crews filmed us on the playground, and eventually and installed a safer, poured rubber surface. Soon after that, the superintendent left, and a year later, I became the PTA president.

So I REALLY enjoyed making this website for Spectraturf. They have incredibly creative designs, and I enjoyed using their bright colors and rounded surfaces on the site. They’re still filling in content, but here’s what it looks like:

This is a BIG step up from the asphalt playground at my elementary school playground! Don’t believe me? It’s hard to believe, but it’s STILL asphalt! Here’s a recent image of Jefferson School in North Arlington, NJ from Google Maps:

At least they let the girls wear pants now. It was kind of tough to play with gusto in a dress.  :(

There was a young driver who drove a red shoe

Posted on 11. May, 2009 by kchristieh in advertising

Given the choice between wearing bright red pumps and driving one up and down Brand Blvd. in Glendale on a Saturday afternoon, which would you choose?

I’d definitely go for the car.

Volunteer, be happy

Posted on 09. May, 2009 by kchristieh in non-profits

Stat du jour:

People who volunteer are 42% more likely than people who don’t to say they are “very happy” with their lives.

Does that mean that happy people volunteer or that volunteering makes you happy? I think it cuts both ways, but I think there’s a bigger dose of the latter. Volunteering gives life meaning: you’re making a difference.

It’s very satisfying.

(Source: Oprah Magazine, Nov., 2008, p. 50)

Read about an amazing everyday hero every day

Posted on 09. May, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, parenting

“Hero” is a big word. It describes someone who’s made a great personal sacrifice to help or save another person.

Most of us don’t meet too many heroes in our lifetime. I’ve met a few, and have blogged about others.

Next time you’re feeling a bit negative about your fellow humans, check out Today’s Hero Blog. Each day it tells the story of an everyday hero. These aren’t people you’re likely to read about in the newspaper or on Wikipedia, but that makes them that much more extraordinary. Most of these people have quietly made a difference in others’ lives without any expectation of recognition. They do what they do because it’s the right thing to do.

Here are a few of my favorite stories. Watch out for the first one: it made me cry.

• Randy Shroeder, who quit the Army to raise three daughters after his wife died at a young age;
• Douglas Weymier, a high school teacher who went above and beyond to get a student on the right track;
• Ben Jones, a bus driver who went out of his way to help a passenger who was down on her luck.

We don’t all get a chance to be heroes. But if we ever get the chance, I hope we’ll all step up and become one. And hopefully I’m teaching that to my kids.

Combining Etsy, Chemistry, Physics and Mother’s Day

Posted on 08. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education, shopping

Today I’m going to interview candidates for high school teaching positions in chemistry and physics.

In honor of today’s efforts and Sunday’s holiday, here’s an amazing Mother’s Day card I found on Etsy that uses the periodic table notations for chemical elements to spell out “mo th er s.”

I’ll be very impressed if anyone wears this to their interview:

May the
m x a
be with all of today’s candidates and interviewers!

Once you learn this new math, you’ll never look at life the same way again

Posted on 07. May, 2009 by kchristieh in cool websites, my life, parenting, quotes

The title of yesterday’s post (Save the babies + educate the kids = healthy society) was inspired by New Math by Craig Damrauer. The site uses simple arithmetic and algebra to illuminate many life truths.

Here are a few of my favorite equations:

Haha! I used that one this morning with my daughter. Eventually I caved in since my husband wasn’t available for an emergency wardrobe consultation at the time.

If she’d asked him first, he may have used this equation. But he probably wouldn’t, since he’s very confident and decisive.

I thought the next two were witty:

This one reminds me of Gaby on “Desperate Housewives,” which I admit to listening to while I file and pay the bills.

The next one really speaks to me. I often say that circumstances aren’t as disappointing when expectation matches reality. It’s a good one for moms to keep in mind as Mother’s Day approaches.

And this one…it’s a message for me to go to bed now so I don’t get sick again.

Now it seems like everything that happens to me is either a potential Facebook status or an equation. Maybe that’s because Geek + Social Butterfly = Me. Oh no!!

Save the babies + educate the kids = healthy society

Posted on 06. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education, feminism, inspirational people, international, non-profits, quotes

One of the biggest lessons Greg Mortenson has learned since he started to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan is to LISTEN. I think he’s learned it quite well. He’s listened to children, their parents and village elders who have asked him to build schools for their villages. He’s listened to mothers who have asked him to help reduce the infant and maternal mortality rates. And as a result, boys and girls are being educated in greater and greater numbers each year, and those children are coming back and helping their villages escape the cycle of poverty and ignorance that serves as a breeding ground for Taliban extremists.

I had the privilege of hearing Greg speak at the California Distinguished Speakers Series this evening in Pasadena. He’s just like how he describes himself in his bestselling book, Three Cups of Tea: just an ordinary, humble guy. But that’s what makes him so extraordinary. He’s made it his life’s mission to educate the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is particularly interested in making sure that girls get an education. He said that when a girl learns to read, she is likely to teach her mother to read, to read newspapers to her family, and to someday deny her son the blessing that he requires to go on a jihad. Greg is the son of former missionaries, and doesn’t have much money. But he’s determined and passionate, and gets others excited about making a difference in the world.

One of the first slides he showed was of this African proverb:

Teach a boy and you teach an individual

Teach a girl and you teach a community.

At first glance it’s easy to dismiss that as being more applicable to Third World countries, but I found it interesting that he said that many of the American politicians and military readers who say they’ve been touched by Greg’s book say they read it because their wives encouraged them to. I was pleased to hear that the new administration is taking Greg’s ideas seriously. Maybe Barack Obama does read my blog!  ;)

Many thanks to Robin R., who gave me the tickets (my hubby accompanied me – I’d given him the book to read last summer!) since she wasn’t feeling well. I hope she gets better soon! Now I need to sleep and stay healthy to continue making a difference and to have the energy to do even more things!!

What high schools should really teach

Posted on 02. May, 2009 by kchristieh in education

Do you use everything you learned in high school? I doubt it. Aren’t there subjects you wish you’d studied in high school, or you wish that your children would learn? If I were in charge, here’s what I’d propose that students learn in high school in order to challenge them, excite them, and teach them lessons and skills that will enrich them and teach them to lead more productive lives:

Math: Teach geometry and algebra, but try to provide more real-life examples of when you’d use them. Instead of automatically moving kids on to trigonometry and calculus after that, encourage them to take logic and statistics. They’re much more useful, even in the teenage years. Can you imagine how cool it would be if a course could actually teach teens to be logical?

English: I wince when my sophomore son says, “I hate reading.” I don’t think he does, but I don’t blame him for saying it when he’s forced to annotate books written in non-standard English with adult themes. English class should teach kids to appreciate the power and beauty of our language, and give them the tools to comprehend and communicate. It’s important that they’re familiar with classic literature, but they’ll lose the joy of reading it if they have to pick it apart sentence by sentence. After all, that’s not what most authors intend when they write. As for contemporary literature, I’d empower kids by giving them choices, or at least not force them to read books with adult themes that perpetuate racial stereotypes. We should also expose our kids to great poetry, songs, speeches, and other forms of communication. As they learn what makes each work great, they should practice writing and speaking their own words and thoughts.

Social Studies: There’s not enough time in high school to cover all the social sciences needed to become an informed and responsible citizen, and I actually think that most high schools do an admirable job of trying. It’s important to take a general social studies course, an American history course (in America), and an economics course. When possible, I’d also recommend European history, world history, or government. I’d incorporate teaching how ethics and religion tie into any of the aforementioned classes.

Science: Instead of just concentrating on biology, chemistry and physics, I love the fact that our high school offers geology and environmental science. The last one is probably most likely to be used in the future by the most students. I’d also include some sort of computer science course in the science curriculum.

Foreign Language: I dream of the day when every American child is bilingual by the time they leave high school. I wish more kids could attend language immersion schools at younger ages, and feel confident in their language abilities by the time they enter high school. But since that’s not likely to happen soon, I’d propose that schools make more of an effort to reduce class sizes in foreign languages. Learning a foreign language requires that kids have the chance to practice it with a seasoned speaker, and that can’t happen when you have 35 kids in a class.

Physical Education: Forget running around the track and doing calisthenics. Kids should do fun activities and sports in P.E. so that they learn to enjoy exercise, and perhaps find something they’ll enjoy doing for the rest of their lives. Also, instead of requiring kids to take P.E. for 5 hours a week for freshman and sophomore years and 0 hours for junior and senior years, require 2.5 hours a week for all four years. Spread it out so that they can continue to stay in shape.

Electives: There are already many fine electives that well-funded American high schools offer, including art, drama and music. Here are a few that are often not taught:

• Accounting: Unless you’re some sort of business major in college, you probably won’t take accounting. And yet, it’s important for most people in their lives and careers. I think many high school students could handle and would benefit from an accounting class.
• Family Life / Health / Sex Ed.: Teach kids the basics of running a household, keeping healthy, and family planning.
• Typing: Supposedly kids learn it in elementary school, but I’m skeptical. Typing is so important to so many careers these days, so I’d make sure kids have this basic skill down pat.

Other notes:

• Class size: In order to implement these suggestions, class sizes would have to be small enough for teachers to give students individual attention in both the classroom and when grading papers.
• # of periods per day: Schools need to divide their school day into more than six periods to accomplish these goals.
• Teacher quality: As I’ve said in this blog before, I wish that schools had more freedom and resources to reward teachers that do a great job, mentor teachers that need help, and let go of teachers that aren’t working out in the classroom. I also wish that there were more ways to give feedback about teacher quality.
• Standardized testing: Find a way to reduce it: kids are spending too much time being tested when they could be learning. For example, if a kid achieves a certain score on the PSAT, don’t make him take the CAHSEE (CA High School Exit Exam). Don’t require the SAT II if a kid is enrolled in an AP class.

This is just a partial list. I’m sure I’d think of more things if I weren’t so determined to post this today. Please add your comments and suggestions!

Pearls before swine flu

Posted on 01. May, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, health, my life, shopping

I’ve missed a few Etsy Fridays…so there’s no harm in pushing another retail establishment. One of my favorite birthday presents this year is a . He’s decked out with his own personal facemask, to protect him from swine flu. I was sick for most of this week (hence the absence of blog posts), so he was protecting himself. It worked! But he’ll probably keep it on until we’re no longer on emergency alert.

Pig is my favorite “Pearls Before Swine” character. His optimism and innocence remind me of myself. Here are a few recent examples: