CHINESE: IT’S NOT JUST FOOD

Do You Speak Any Other Language Besides TXT?

As high schools and colleges near the annual rituals for graduation, the nagging question of “What’s wrong with our education system?” appears in many publications. Nearly half of the graduating high school seniors will be seeking some kind of work or trying to adjust to life without high school. Around two-thirds of graduating college seniors will be heading home to live with the “folks” and trying to figure out a way to pay back $40,000 in student loans.
Even though I believe that our educational problems are not isolated to educational institutions, I think there are some things worth looking at with respect to focus. First, USA Today reported recently that over 22 million Chinese school students are learning English. In the US, they estimated that around 2500 students are learning Chinese. Hence, the first problem with American education is the widespread arrogance that the English language will continue to dominate the world markets. Anyone for a little Star Spangled Banner salsa-style?
It will be very difficult for Americans to compete with China in the global marketplace if they can’t speak the language of over 1 billion people. And while Chinese students are studying American culture for the express purposes of marketing their products to US consumers, I doubt if many American students are trying to understand the Chinese culture and how to market to them.
Second, we are leaving behind learning as a scholarly discipline. American education at all levels, including college, is focused on vertical learning or the orderly accumulation of knowledge. When knowledge was “stable” and may last a generation or more, this approach served us well. Now, with the turnover of knowledge occurring in 6-month intervals, vertical learning creates obsolescence within a year of leaving school. Those new graduates who decline to invest in ongoing educational efforts will begin to lose ground and fall behind before the ink is dry on their diploma.
Finally, our approach to education (ie, vertical learning) insists that we be “right.” It’s hard to encourage innovation when you have to be “right” all the time. If Thomas Edison lived now and followed the doctrine of “right”, there would be no dry cell batteries or light bulbs. To paraphrase Edison, his mistakes were one step closer to the solution.
Learning used to be about making mistakes and learning from failed efforts. Now, schools test and colleges manufacture employees. If the best our educational systems can produce is millions of consumers and employees, then I guess we don’t need to learn Chinese. They will gladly give us our daily work assignments in English.

TEAMWORK

Five Pillars of the Community

Schools are under fire for their performance as measured by achievement testing. Recent legislation has attempted to make schools more accountable for achievement and enacted standards for "qualified teachers." Testing and preparing students for testing to measure achievement seems to be a full-time job and is critical for schools in terms of funding. But, what happens when students refuse to learn?
Highly qualified teachers, modern environments, new technology and innovative curricula won't mean much if students don't want to participate. And the problem for teachers is that a small percentage of students who reject learning will consume a large part of classroom time and disrupt the progress of other students. So, refusing to learn isn't just a personal choice because it affects everyone and teachers are graded on how well everyone performs.
Refusing to learn is not solely a school problem: it belongs to the community. For example, there's sufficient evidence that involved parents make a significant difference in their children's focus and discipline at school. But, if those parents are consumed by work because it is necessary to work multiple jobs to pay bills, it's hard to be involved. Lack of parental involvement is a community problem.
The Five Pillars of the Community are: Education, Religion, Commerce, Politics and Social. Each of these pieces of the community are needed to push students forward and create achievement. School boards may be an obvious choice for creating this kind of dialog, but boards are elected by communities and don't always have the suggested representation. An independent board may work, but there would need to be a sense of urgency to convene decision-makers and get them to attend regularly.
Unfortunately, it is easier for community leaders to point fingers and push the blame on schools, teachers and standards. Instead of working together for a solution, community leaders will insist on getting tougher. But schools can't accomplish success alone. They only have students for 180 days -- that's less than one-half of the entire year. On an hourly basis, they only have students for about 1260 hours, not counting early dismissals or late starts due to weather. There's 8760 hours in a year, hence, schools only interact with students for 14% of any given year. So the community and parents need to take responsibility for 86% of time not spent in school. That means commerce needs to plan internships and work experience opportunities. Religion needs to heavily promote activities that build moral values and social responsibilities. Politicians need to provide a reason for students to study by creating meaningful work opportunities. And finally, there needs to be social outlets that allow people of all ages to interact and be role models.
Schools will never have the resources are to overcome a community's indifference to creating a learning environment. Until the community embraces the importance of learning, there won't be much to cheer about when achievement scores are released.

Is The Right Attitude Enough?

ZAP: IT’S AN ATTITUDE!

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.” – William James

The human body is electrical energy. If your heart defibrillates, electricity is used to “shock” it back into a normal rhythm. Acupuncture uses the theory of “rivers of energy” to heal and renew the body. Our brains are a mass of neurons firing precisely to create speech, fine motor movement and the thousands of impulses necessary to carry on the routines of living.
Hence, attitude is a force, an electrical burst that can move us in both positive and negative directions. For example, biofeedback studies have shown that people can think and create higher, and lower, blood pressure. Humor can help people overcome disease. And leadership gurus are forever saying that success starts with the right attitude!
So how do you go about creating this positive aura that will allow you to reach new goals? How do you avoid falling into a “Pollyannaish” type of trap that, at best, is poppycock?
First, all the positive thoughts you can muster won’t overcome a negative reality. If you live in poverty, positive thoughts may help you get up in the morning but it doesn’t guarantee that you will eat that day. If you live with a physically abusive spouse, all the positive thoughts in the world won’t stop the next round of pummeling. These traps squash positive attitudes and require more concerted help beyond your control.
(Anyone can rise to new heights if offered enough support and guidance. George Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalion, a story about a person’s transformation from poor to rich. A funny, modern version of the story is the movie Trading Places with Eddie Murphy.)
Regardless of your current situation, you need a plan and a mentor. If your goal is to live a healthy and rewarding life, you need education, opportunities and someone who can walk you through the maze of adapting to your new life. If your plan is to live a physically active life, just putting on your running shoes won’t work. Most likely, you will be sore the next day, quick to make excuses and not continue.
Second, if your plan is about making money, chances are that you will never succeed. You can never make enough money; hence, the reason for greed and corruption in corporate America. Money is never enough. You plan for happiness and if money follows, it’s a bonus.
Attitude is about creating opportunities for small successes. After each success, your confidence grows and reinforces the positive attitude. That leads to the next round of positive attitudes, attempts, success and more confidence. And so the wheel continues to turn: actions reinforced by success that leads to the next round of the plan.
Attitude is essential and we need to do all we can to believe in ourselves and that we will make progress every day. But the main ingredient is planning for action; without action you are simply daydreaming. Find your mentor, construct your plan and begin enjoying your small successes.

A MAGICAL PLAN

Learning: It’s Not Just TV

I live a couple of hours away from the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. No, it’s not a casino operated by Native Americans, even though that form of entertainment is available in nearby Salamanca, NY. The Chautauqua Institution is a special place where learning becomes a way of life. As the marketing brochure states: “Be informed, enlightened, entertained, feel renewed.”
The Chautauqua Movement began in the 19th century and was originally linked to religious retreats that would strive to renew the spirituality of those who attended by presenting the best speakers of the time. The Chautauqua Movement spread nationally and many of those sites still exist today in addition to the aforementioned site.
The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that he can be – to know all that he can know.” At the Chautauqua Institution, learning experiences can come in many forms including a thriving community where visitors come to find intellectual and spiritual growth and renewal.
Why I am writing about the Chautauqua Institution? First, it is a magical experience that more people need to experience and second it ties into today’s thoughts about adult learning. People always state that they want to learn more. They lament the lack of time, resources or money or access to schools that prevents them from continuous learning. I understand that your concerns are real. Fortunately, I can offer a plan for you that is affordable and respects your busy schedules.
First, daily activities need to include reading/skimming a major newspaper such as USA Today, NY Times or Wall Street Journal. There’s no need to read every page; just skim to get a feel for the day’s important stories. Read those articles that may be of interest to you. Depending on how many articles you plan to read, this should take less than 30 minutes.
Next, read a book for enjoyment for about 30 minutes a day. Pick books written by authors that are known for their rich character development, intriguing plot lines and attention to details. This will help your “mind’s eye” to be stimulated and increased your powers of observation. Hint: you may want to shy away from the classics only because the language of the time can be confusing; stick with authors that speak your language.
Third, and the last daily activity, read something you call “educational” for 30 minutes. Maybe you want to work on your business, computer or leadership skills? It doesn’t matter; pick a topic and spend 30 minutes a day with the “expert.”

If you can't do all 3, then the newspaper is your best bet.
Weekly activities include reading at least one weekly news magazine such as Time or Newsweek (there are many good weekly magazines; pick one you like). Second, spend 30 to 60 minutes looking at your favorite web sites. Be sure to make it a mix of entertainment and educational.

If a weekly magazine is too expensive, then review the web sites.
Finally, monthly activities include reading one entertainment and one educational periodical. Also, if you have access to such activities, visit a museum, planetarium or horticultural center. Admission is rarely expensive and you never know who you might meet at one of these locations.

Gas is expensive; stay close to home and support local activities!
If you schedule these daily, weekly and monthly activities, many scholars estimate that in 4 years you will be as knowledgeable and well-informed as any person with a doctorate degree! Let me know what you think.