China Gains Ground
In education, China is a nation whose star is clearly rising. Over the past twenty years, the country has made leaps and bounds from being near the bottom of the globally accepted (if informal) standards to rivaling and in some cases excelling over America’s public school students. This is due to some key differences in the way education is implemented in each country. For example, the average age at which formal education begins in China is now 2, while in America, students typically do not begin their formal education until Kindergarten at age 5. Now, China’s students...
Read MoreGovernment Grants and Schools
Ever wonder what percentage of funding for public schools is raised by the local school district, the state, or even the federal government? The amount of money is takes to keep a school operational would very likely astound most people — let alone the cost of operating an entire school district. In some counties, the county bears part of the burden of cost, meeting state efforts to help, and in addition to any federal funding a district may receive based on its degree of poverty and the need of its students. Grants are an important part of the funding schools get to keep going...
Read MoreA Teacher Weighs in on No Child Left Behind
It’s August 2, and unlike many of her peers and now longtime friends, fifth grade teacher Emily Stanhope is not spending the last fleeting days of summer buying extra school supplies for students who will be filling the 28 or so seats in her classroom. It is a room she has taught in for more than eight years, but this year, another teacher will take her place, probably a recent graduate with high hopes and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, enthusiasm, and hope. Just like Emily herself eight years ago, the replacement probably believes she is entering a noble profession that...
Read MoreRelax with Incense and Learn Your Finances
One aspect of education that cannot be overlooked is financial literacy. Each year, tens of thousands of students in the United States graduate from high school with little, if any, idea of how to balance a check book, use a Visa check card (also known as a debit card) responsibly, or maintain a savings account in case of emergencies. There are even some high school graduates who do not understand how to properly count back change — and likewise, to receive the right change when it is being handed to them. This is a growing epidemic in our country, and one that needs to be...
Read MoreMake a Difference
Every teacher is faced with a choice. They can either teach what is required of them and drop all ties with students at 5pm when they go home or they can take an active interest in bettering the students that come before them. Teachers are more than instructors. They are life coaches and deserve our respect and admiration.
