Saipan Tribune
September 22, 2008
We have failed to educate our youth for many years and as a result we are now feeling the results of that failure. This is a matter which we cannot blame on the government or outside influence. We are to blame solely. The lack of a good education in our youth is our failure because of the low standards we set for ourselves. Now we are paying the price for it.
Look at what we have produced. Many adults can barely read and write. Many never read books or magazines to keep abreast of changes in the world. Many have never learned skills or training in any job. Over 75% of our youth have no desire to improve themselves. They are imprisoned in their minds to a small island forgetting that the CNMI has become a part of the world of nations. Is it any wonder that we are in the situation we are in now? Take a look at the facts below and let’s ask ourselves when are we going to wise up?
This past June 2008, 800 seniors graduated from high school. Out of 800, only about 200 decided to go to an institution of higher learning whether it is NMC or a college somewhere else. This represents only 25% of the young minds. The mainland average for students going to college is 63%.
What will happen to the other 600 students or 75% at the age of 17 to 18 years of age? Do they have any skills to find good jobs? Or will they just drift and become a burden on society? What will their children be like?
Consider the previous year 2007, another 800 graduated and only 200 went to college. But 600 youths are still walking the streets with no direction and little education. Then in 2006, another 800 graduated and again only 200 went to college. Where are the previous 1200 plus this year’s 600 for a total of 1800 barely educated students? Are they working? Are they on food stamps because they have no skills to offer? What are they doing to earn a living? Are these young people an asset or a liability to the community?
Let’s add up the total number of 200 X 3 years equals 600 students in the process of getting an advanced education or 25% of graduates. But 600 X 3 years equals 1800 students who are barely educated or 75% who did not go to college. They remain mostly unemployed young people with little guidance or direction in their lives
If we keep going back several more years, the number of uneducated citizens rises. We can only conclude that the majority of our citizens are poorly educated and unskilled. I haven’t counted in hundreds of students who have dropped out of school before graduation.
What does this say about the future of the CNMI? What does it say about our school system? What does it say about parents and the responsibility in guiding their children? What does it say about our community? Why has this sad situation been happening? Instead of pointing fingers at who is responsible for the low level of education and unskilled workers, let us seek solutions to improve the situation and motivate young people to want to learn.
It has been shown that a child from the age of five to 18 years old spends at least 92% of his awakened time outside school. Therefore most of a child’s education, 92%, begins and continues in the home and environment. Parents are the most influential teachers on a child’s development. The child copies the type of relationship he sees between his father and mother and assumes that is the correct way for a married couple to live and raise children. We parents must examine the way we influence our children because they become carbon copies of our lives.
Let me relate an incident that happened recently in one of my companies. A newly young hired employee, 23 years old, was caught stealing company funds. Upon apprehension, he admitted it. When asked about his family life, he admitted he had no relationship with his father and little with his mother. At 17 years old he had dropped out of high school and had never worked a day in his life. This was his first real job in six years since dropping out of school! He is living with a young girl and has fathered three children. The youngest one is two weeks old and the oldest is four years old. What happened here? Who failed this young man? What future does he have? How many more are out there like him? Why can’t we help them? They are us when we were young!
Please parents and community, wake up! What we sow so shall we reap. We owe it to our children to give our time and love. But we also must guide them to goals in life. We must invest in them and motivate them to want to want to succeed. We must insist that they do better than us.
Another area that should be carefully examined is our public school system. After spending millions of dollars yearly, are we really producing fairly well educated youth? What justification does the school system have for not producing better educated youth? Shouldn’t the school system really take a closer look at the techniques it is using and accept changes in education. Basically it is still teaching as it did over 80 years ago. Think about why we can’t educate our youth better? Is it the students fault? Is it our fault? Is it the usual excuse --lack of money? What is it that prevents us? Could it be that we really don’t care?
We are the community and must demand better results from the school system. We must find ways to teach our slower children better. Any child who desires to drop out of school should be strongly discouraged from doing so and highly motivated to continue his schooling. Extra facilities must be created to accommodate the slower students. Lack of money must not be the cop-out.
In the Northern Marianas Trades Institute recently started, I discovered that 17 students out of 36 do not have a high school diploma. It is gratifying to see these students seeking a second chance to learn. With the proper guidance they will become skillful and educated members of our community.
Repeatedly I have mentioned that a nation is only as successful as its educated and trained citizens. We have great potential manpower but we are not developing it. When will we wake up? We must realize that it is our personal problem. When will we realize that an uneducated population is a drain on the nation? When will we start to make the necessary changes? We must seek solutions. If we do not implement changes to improve, how can we perpetuate our culture and increase our chances for prosperity? How low will we descend until we wake up and find ourselves aliens and poor in our own land?
It is not too late. Improvement begins with a first step coupled with clear goals supported by a strong desire to change. Let’s begin correcting one of our most crucial problems. We must better educate our youth and ourselves. We must guide them in wanting to seek a higher education and to learn a skill. Stop the abuse of our young people’s future. A wasted mind is a sin. Only education will make us free! Only education will make us whole again!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Remediating in College- Submitted by Sue Ferrara
I am teaching a college-based remedial writing class this semester. The will to learn is there, but the lack of student skills finds me teaching the basics: nouns, verbs, homonyms, possessives. All these parts of speech should have been taught across the K-12 curriculum. And how do these students earn H.S. diplomas? Gosh, if American schools can start teaching sex education in Kindergarten, can't the curriculum support the teaching of English? Or may the last statement should read: Instead of starting sex education in Kindergarten, schools should focus on teaching students to read, write and do math?
Sue Ferrara
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/colleges_spend_billions_to_tea.html
Colleges spend billions to teach freshmen basic skills
by The Associated Press
Monday September 15, 2008, 1:00 AM
It's a tough lesson for millions of students just now arriving on campus: even if you have a high school diploma, you may not be ready for college. In fact, a new study calculates, one-third of American college students have to enroll in remedial classes. The bill to colleges and taxpayers for trying to bring them up to speed on material they were supposed to learn in high school comes to between $2.3 billion and $2.9 billion annually.
'That is a very large cost, but there is an additional cost and that's the cost to the students,' said former Colorado governor Roy Romer, chair of the group Strong American Schools (http://www.edin08.com),which is issuing the report 'Diploma to Nowhere' on Monday. 'These students come out of high school really misled. They think they're prepared. They got a 3.0 and got through the curriculum they needed to get admitted, but they find what they learned wasn't adequate.
'Christina Jeronimo was an 'A' student in high school English,but was placed in a remedial course when she arrived at Long Beach Community College in California. The course was valuable in some ways but frustrating and time-consuming. Now in her third year of community college, she'd hoped to transfer to UCLA by now.
Like many college students, she wishes she'd been worked a little harder in high school. 'There's a gap,' said Jeronimo, who hopes to study psychology. 'The demands of the high school teachers aren't as great as the demands for college. Sometimes they just baby us.
'The problem of colleges devoting huge amounts of time and money to remediation isn't new, though its scale and cost has been difficult to measure. The latest report gives somewhat larger estimates than some previous studies, though it is not out of line with trends suggested in others, said Hunter Boylan, an expert at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, who was not connected with the report.
Analyzing federal data, the report estimates 43 percent of community college students require remediation, as do 29 percent of students at public four-year universities, with higher numbers in some places. For instance, four in five Oklahoma community college students need remedial coursework, and three in five in the giant California State university system need help in English, math or both. The cost per student runs to as much as $2,000 per student in community colleges and $2,500 in four-year universities.
Sue Ferrara
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/colleges_spend_billions_to_tea.html
Colleges spend billions to teach freshmen basic skills
by The Associated Press
Monday September 15, 2008, 1:00 AM
It's a tough lesson for millions of students just now arriving on campus: even if you have a high school diploma, you may not be ready for college. In fact, a new study calculates, one-third of American college students have to enroll in remedial classes. The bill to colleges and taxpayers for trying to bring them up to speed on material they were supposed to learn in high school comes to between $2.3 billion and $2.9 billion annually.
'That is a very large cost, but there is an additional cost and that's the cost to the students,' said former Colorado governor Roy Romer, chair of the group Strong American Schools (http://www.edin08.com),which is issuing the report 'Diploma to Nowhere' on Monday. 'These students come out of high school really misled. They think they're prepared. They got a 3.0 and got through the curriculum they needed to get admitted, but they find what they learned wasn't adequate.
'Christina Jeronimo was an 'A' student in high school English,but was placed in a remedial course when she arrived at Long Beach Community College in California. The course was valuable in some ways but frustrating and time-consuming. Now in her third year of community college, she'd hoped to transfer to UCLA by now.
Like many college students, she wishes she'd been worked a little harder in high school. 'There's a gap,' said Jeronimo, who hopes to study psychology. 'The demands of the high school teachers aren't as great as the demands for college. Sometimes they just baby us.
'The problem of colleges devoting huge amounts of time and money to remediation isn't new, though its scale and cost has been difficult to measure. The latest report gives somewhat larger estimates than some previous studies, though it is not out of line with trends suggested in others, said Hunter Boylan, an expert at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, who was not connected with the report.
Analyzing federal data, the report estimates 43 percent of community college students require remediation, as do 29 percent of students at public four-year universities, with higher numbers in some places. For instance, four in five Oklahoma community college students need remedial coursework, and three in five in the giant California State university system need help in English, math or both. The cost per student runs to as much as $2,000 per student in community colleges and $2,500 in four-year universities.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
PDELA - Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School
The Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School (PDELA), is a statewide distance learning, non-sectarian public charter school for grades K-12 that operates in a home-based learning environment. PDELA exists through the legal authority of Pennsylvania charter school laws, and answers directly to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. It combines teacher designed education with parent involvement and uses computer and distance-learning technologies. As a public school, PDELA is tuition-free. The programs are designed to provide each student with an individualized, home-based education in grades K-12. Students reside all across Pennsylvania.
PDELA operates under the direction of The Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School, a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, headed by an independent Board of Directors comprised of community leaders who are dedicated to the expansion of parental choice in education throughout Pennsylvania. PDELA, through its independent Board of Directors, is dedicated to furnishing an individualized distance learning program for children in grades K-12.
Everything that a PDELA student needs for his or her education is provided for. PDELA provides:
• A tuition-free education that students complete from the comfort and safety of home.
• A complete computer system, including desktop computer and a color printer/fax/scanner
• An award-winning curriculum
• Teachers who are dedicated to supporting each parent educator and student
• Live, interactive, online class sessions
• Access to progress, grades and curriculum 24 hours a day
• Access to online tutoring and homework help
• Online resources such as LexisNexis, World Book and a video library with over 10,000 educational videos
• Scholarships so that families may obtain a high-speed internet connection
• Field trips
• Technical support
• Reimbursements for supplemental educational activities
STAFF
Dedicated PDELA faculty and staff are available to help support parents and students through email, phone, fax, and postal mail communications. Teachers also lead live interactive classes for students to attend on a regular basis.
CERTIFIED TEACHERS
All PDELA teachers are certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Students are assigned a highly qualified teacher for each class in which they are enrolled.
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
Students in grades 7-12 are assigned an Academic Advisor. Academic Advisors monitor attendance and academic progress, establish goals with the parent educator, and assist with post-graduation planning.
INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS
Special Education students and their families have the support of an Intervention Specialist. The IS works with students and parent-educators to ensure that the goals, objectives, and accommodations of Individual Education Plans (IEP) are met and appropriate course selections are made.
COMPUTER SUPPORT PERSONNEL
PDELA provides a Technical Support hotline to solve computer-related issues effectively over the phone. The Technical Support team will work with families to answer hardware, software, and Internet connectivity questions.
ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT
In order to make sure that each family has a smooth transition into the program, a full Admissions Department is provided for students to aid in the process. Admissions Counselors have the answers to help parents and students understand the steps needed to become part of the PDELA family.
PSEA
To ensure that parents have additional resources to support student learning, a Parent Supplemental Education Account (PSEA) is established for each student. After the first year of enrollment, funds will accumulate for each student, based on the number of years enrolled at PDELA. PSEA reimbursements can help students enjoy museum and zoo memberships or purchase additional educational items to guide their academic success.
FIELD TRIPS
PDELA field trips bring curriculum to life! Students of all ages utilize these opportunities to engage their minds and enhance their learning experience. PDELA student field trips are designed for students of all ages. These historical and cultural activities have included the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, Gettysburg National Park, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Science Centers, and Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field and Historical Center.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
PDELA provides a special education program in accordance with current federal and state regulations and guidelines. This program is individualized to the unique needs of each child who has been diagnosed as needing Special Education services. PDELA provides a multi-faceted educational evaluation as needed for each student with a disability.
For further information regarding PDELA, visit www.PDELA.com
PDELA operates under the direction of The Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School, a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, headed by an independent Board of Directors comprised of community leaders who are dedicated to the expansion of parental choice in education throughout Pennsylvania. PDELA, through its independent Board of Directors, is dedicated to furnishing an individualized distance learning program for children in grades K-12.
Everything that a PDELA student needs for his or her education is provided for. PDELA provides:
• A tuition-free education that students complete from the comfort and safety of home.
• A complete computer system, including desktop computer and a color printer/fax/scanner
• An award-winning curriculum
• Teachers who are dedicated to supporting each parent educator and student
• Live, interactive, online class sessions
• Access to progress, grades and curriculum 24 hours a day
• Access to online tutoring and homework help
• Online resources such as LexisNexis, World Book and a video library with over 10,000 educational videos
• Scholarships so that families may obtain a high-speed internet connection
• Field trips
• Technical support
• Reimbursements for supplemental educational activities
STAFF
Dedicated PDELA faculty and staff are available to help support parents and students through email, phone, fax, and postal mail communications. Teachers also lead live interactive classes for students to attend on a regular basis.
CERTIFIED TEACHERS
All PDELA teachers are certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Students are assigned a highly qualified teacher for each class in which they are enrolled.
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
Students in grades 7-12 are assigned an Academic Advisor. Academic Advisors monitor attendance and academic progress, establish goals with the parent educator, and assist with post-graduation planning.
INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS
Special Education students and their families have the support of an Intervention Specialist. The IS works with students and parent-educators to ensure that the goals, objectives, and accommodations of Individual Education Plans (IEP) are met and appropriate course selections are made.
COMPUTER SUPPORT PERSONNEL
PDELA provides a Technical Support hotline to solve computer-related issues effectively over the phone. The Technical Support team will work with families to answer hardware, software, and Internet connectivity questions.
ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT
In order to make sure that each family has a smooth transition into the program, a full Admissions Department is provided for students to aid in the process. Admissions Counselors have the answers to help parents and students understand the steps needed to become part of the PDELA family.
PSEA
To ensure that parents have additional resources to support student learning, a Parent Supplemental Education Account (PSEA) is established for each student. After the first year of enrollment, funds will accumulate for each student, based on the number of years enrolled at PDELA. PSEA reimbursements can help students enjoy museum and zoo memberships or purchase additional educational items to guide their academic success.
FIELD TRIPS
PDELA field trips bring curriculum to life! Students of all ages utilize these opportunities to engage their minds and enhance their learning experience. PDELA student field trips are designed for students of all ages. These historical and cultural activities have included the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, Gettysburg National Park, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Science Centers, and Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field and Historical Center.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
PDELA provides a special education program in accordance with current federal and state regulations and guidelines. This program is individualized to the unique needs of each child who has been diagnosed as needing Special Education services. PDELA provides a multi-faceted educational evaluation as needed for each student with a disability.
For further information regarding PDELA, visit www.PDELA.com
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Summary of "Financial Literacy: A Plan for All Ages" - By John E. McWeeney, Jr.
(Condensed from New Jersey Banker, Summer 2008)
As our nation and our economy struggle through the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis, it's apparent that the need for widespread financial education has never been greater. How many foreclosures might have been averted if homeowners had been better educated on mortgage products?
The same holds true for teaching young children to save, training young adults on budgeting and the proper handling of their deposit accounts, credit cards, and protecting senior citizens from financial predators. The American Bankers Association says that at present, as many as 86% of students in the U.S. have never taken a course in personal financial education. The need is magnified by the exploding population of new immigrants who don't speak English and who have not entered our banking system .
The challenge is great and developing a solution will require a collaborative effort on the part of both the public and private sectors. The good news is that the banking industry is putting forth positive and lasting efforts to promote financial literacy.
An example of a local New Jersey Bank who has found success with their teaching program is illustrated below:
First Hope Bank
Introduced in 2004, the bank has worked in conjunction with Great Meadows School Librarian Helene Palestri and her Young Savers Program, made up of first - through fifth- graders, who make deposits weekly into First Hope KIDS (Kids Investing Dollars Sensibly) acounts by visiting the school library, which is transformed into a bank, where fifth grade "tellers" collect, tally and credit the money. There's even a "branch manager" to welcome young bankers and direct them to an available teller.
Palestri says, that "the fifth grade teller jobs are very much coveted." The children must complete an application before being offered the position and that each teller has a name plate and a "work basket" containing a calcualtor, and stamp date and deposit slips. The Manager, Dawn Barbera, of First Hope's Great Meadows Office says the children "get a kick out of watching their money grow through interest." The program is a huge hit with parents and children alike.
As our nation and our economy struggle through the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis, it's apparent that the need for widespread financial education has never been greater. How many foreclosures might have been averted if homeowners had been better educated on mortgage products?
The same holds true for teaching young children to save, training young adults on budgeting and the proper handling of their deposit accounts, credit cards, and protecting senior citizens from financial predators. The American Bankers Association says that at present, as many as 86% of students in the U.S. have never taken a course in personal financial education. The need is magnified by the exploding population of new immigrants who don't speak English and who have not entered our banking system .
The challenge is great and developing a solution will require a collaborative effort on the part of both the public and private sectors. The good news is that the banking industry is putting forth positive and lasting efforts to promote financial literacy.
An example of a local New Jersey Bank who has found success with their teaching program is illustrated below:
First Hope Bank
Introduced in 2004, the bank has worked in conjunction with Great Meadows School Librarian Helene Palestri and her Young Savers Program, made up of first - through fifth- graders, who make deposits weekly into First Hope KIDS (Kids Investing Dollars Sensibly) acounts by visiting the school library, which is transformed into a bank, where fifth grade "tellers" collect, tally and credit the money. There's even a "branch manager" to welcome young bankers and direct them to an available teller.
Palestri says, that "the fifth grade teller jobs are very much coveted." The children must complete an application before being offered the position and that each teller has a name plate and a "work basket" containing a calcualtor, and stamp date and deposit slips. The Manager, Dawn Barbera, of First Hope's Great Meadows Office says the children "get a kick out of watching their money grow through interest." The program is a huge hit with parents and children alike.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Financial Illiteracy Hits "Home" Revisited- by Patrick L. Ryan
(Condensed from New Jersey Banker, Summer 2008)
In order for our young adults to meet the needs of their future and and that of their future families, there must be an educational foundation put in place to help off-set our current trends in financial illiteracy, namely our current mortgage crisis. Those who succumbed to great salesmanship of low teaser rates and minimal monthly payments, and who are now discovering how risky those loans really were and the unbearable financial burdens they must bear after those low introductory rates conclude. Hence, our on-going crisis of home foreclosures and bankruptcies.
Slick sales presentations, easy credit and lax regulation are a significant part of the problem, but our first line of defense is ourselves and our financial literacy. Understanding compound interest, the mechanics of a loan agreement and the applicable mortgage tables are vital skills which all of us need to survive the financial realities of the 21st century.
Slick sales presentations, easy credit and lax regulation are a significant part of the problem, but our first line of defense is ourselves and our financial literacy. Understanding compound interest, the mechanics of a loan agreement and the applicable mortgage tables are vital skills which all of us need to survive the financial realities of the 21st century.
All the writing and mathematical skills carefully taught and absorbed over an educational career will not allow today's young adult to recognize the importance of early retirement planning, personal finance, credit card management and the elements of the myriad mortgage contracts available today without specific financial training.
The lack of financial literacy training in the prevailing educational systems is as serious a deficiency as can be imaginable. False financial moves early in life involving student loans, credit cards or other instruments can haunt young people for the rest of their lives through large debt loads and the expensive consequences of a poor credit score.
The public education system must take notice of this hole in its programs and address the matter, or many financial lives will continue to be damaged and essentially lost!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What Gifts Should We Give to Our Children? -- By Tony Pellegrino
As we struggle to establish a footing in our economic downslide, who has the time to consider what gifts we should give to our children? Do we give them a gift of almost $300,000,000 in debt? Do we give them a better or worse society than the one we have created? Do we merely satisfy all their instant material cravings? Exactly what should we give to our children?
As the father of five children, I am confused as to what gifts we are giving or should be giving to our children. What attitudes are we putting in their minds? When only 200 of our graduating students wish to obtain a higher education, what are the other 600 students going to do without it? Will they either join the military or join the ranks of food stamp recipients? What ideals and ambitions are we, as parents, instilling in our children?
My own parents were immigrants from Sicily who worked hard all their lives. I often reflect on the gifts that they gave to my brother, sister and me as children. The gifts were neither money nor property. Instead, they instilled in us a strong desire to get an education coupled with a fierce determination to succeed at anything we attempted in life.
When my father arrived in America, he had neither schooling nor skills. Somehow he found a job in a small bakery washing baking pans, sweeping the floor and doing other menial chores. Over the years, by watching and asking questions, he learned how to bake and was finally able to open his own bakery.
My mother, also without schooling and skills, found a job in a clothing factory sewing garments. She taught herself how to sew well until she was hired as a seamstress in a ladies’ fashion store. Later, she joined my father in their small bakery and grocery store. My father baked and my mother operated the store.
I cannot recall either of my parents ever being absent from or late to work unless they were so sick that it was almost impossible to rise from their beds. They were thrifty with their earnings, yet provided a clean, decent home and plenty of food for all of us. They showered love and attention on the three of us children. Basically, they lived what they taught us.
As my sister, brother and I enjoyed their love, we somehow picked up their wishes that we obtain a good education and the determination to succeed. My brother became an oral surgeon and my sister received her Bachelor of Arts degree, though late, at age 59. After receiving my Master’s degree in Liberal Arts, I first became a teacher and later a businessman. These are some of the gifts I received from my parents.
Hoping that this article will get us parents thinking about what gifts to give our children, allow me to cite a few. The list may be added to or modified as the reader feels necessary. We, as parents, and society must become aware of the ideals and goals we instill in our children because they will mirror us in a few years! Consider our own parents’ influence on us and how much we think and act as them throughout our lives.
A. I feel that the first and most important ideal to give our children is the following quote:
“The best gift a father can give to his children is to love their mother. And the best gift the mother can give to her children is to love their father.”
Think about why this is so important!
B. The next gift is sound character education, and one of the most important qualities of character education is virtuous behavior. The definition of virtue includes integrity, industry, and responsibility. If our children are not educated about the attributes of character necessary to succeed in life, they will not find happiness.
C. If our young people are going to be successful in meeting the tough challenges facing them in society, we need to instill mutual respect, tolerance, empathy, civility, humility, honesty, and resolution. Space limits the discussion of the above qualities but you already know what they mean if you are displaying good character.
D. Public Service must be taught to our children. We should teach our young people that they can be proud of public service, that it is stimulating and rewarding. Public service can take many forms from elected public office to volunteer service in the community. The active participation of our children in public service will ensure the greatness of our country. They must become interested in the political and social community around them.
E. A sound education must be taught about our alliances. Our children must understand and appreciate that they are citizens of the United States and also citizens of the world. Our children must grasp this relationship and understand their history. If they do not, they will not be able to effectively appreciate or participate in our varying levels of representative government.
Another one of the greatest gifts to give our children is to instill confidence and determination in whatever they attempt to do. Confidence and determination lead to success regardless of the difficulties to be faced.
The above suggestions are merely to jumpstart thinking about our relationships with our children. Your list will have many more, and perhaps will be different from mine, however, if we are diligent in instilling the above ideals in our children they will find their own paths in life easily whether they be in academics or as skilled trades people. What is important is that we carefully consider the gifts we give to our children? Our influence on them is greater than we realize.
Sadly, there is one gift that our government and we parents are giving our children which is unfair and will cause great hardship for years; it is the bestowing of a huge debt (close to $300,000,000.00), on them through no fault of theirs. If we truly value our children, and wish them to have better lives than we have built for ourselves, we have no choice but to stand up, not only for deficit reduction, but for a systematic plan to reduce the burden of debt that we are piling up daily. Today’s parents and grandparents owe it to their children to take care of their own debts. We must not burden our children with our foolish and wasteful ways; they deserve better.
You and I know that we enrich our own lives as we educate our children. From our young people, we refresh our thinking about optimism, enthusiasm, and new ways of looking at old questions. Indeed, from our children, we learn how to scan new horizons. Let us not place the mistakes we have made on their young shoulders. Let them fly free from the nest and seek new goals. When we give them gifts that add to the zest for life, we can rest assured that we have been good parents.
Whatever gifts we give to our children, tell them over and over, “We love your uniqueness. We love you. We want you to grow up to be all that you can be. You don’t have to be like us. You’re bright and creative. You have blessed us by coming. We really love you,” ending with a great bear hug. Isn’t that what you wished your mother and father had said to you but you never heard? What greater gift is there?
As the father of five children, I am confused as to what gifts we are giving or should be giving to our children. What attitudes are we putting in their minds? When only 200 of our graduating students wish to obtain a higher education, what are the other 600 students going to do without it? Will they either join the military or join the ranks of food stamp recipients? What ideals and ambitions are we, as parents, instilling in our children?
My own parents were immigrants from Sicily who worked hard all their lives. I often reflect on the gifts that they gave to my brother, sister and me as children. The gifts were neither money nor property. Instead, they instilled in us a strong desire to get an education coupled with a fierce determination to succeed at anything we attempted in life.
When my father arrived in America, he had neither schooling nor skills. Somehow he found a job in a small bakery washing baking pans, sweeping the floor and doing other menial chores. Over the years, by watching and asking questions, he learned how to bake and was finally able to open his own bakery.
My mother, also without schooling and skills, found a job in a clothing factory sewing garments. She taught herself how to sew well until she was hired as a seamstress in a ladies’ fashion store. Later, she joined my father in their small bakery and grocery store. My father baked and my mother operated the store.
I cannot recall either of my parents ever being absent from or late to work unless they were so sick that it was almost impossible to rise from their beds. They were thrifty with their earnings, yet provided a clean, decent home and plenty of food for all of us. They showered love and attention on the three of us children. Basically, they lived what they taught us.
As my sister, brother and I enjoyed their love, we somehow picked up their wishes that we obtain a good education and the determination to succeed. My brother became an oral surgeon and my sister received her Bachelor of Arts degree, though late, at age 59. After receiving my Master’s degree in Liberal Arts, I first became a teacher and later a businessman. These are some of the gifts I received from my parents.
Hoping that this article will get us parents thinking about what gifts to give our children, allow me to cite a few. The list may be added to or modified as the reader feels necessary. We, as parents, and society must become aware of the ideals and goals we instill in our children because they will mirror us in a few years! Consider our own parents’ influence on us and how much we think and act as them throughout our lives.
A. I feel that the first and most important ideal to give our children is the following quote:
“The best gift a father can give to his children is to love their mother. And the best gift the mother can give to her children is to love their father.”
Think about why this is so important!
B. The next gift is sound character education, and one of the most important qualities of character education is virtuous behavior. The definition of virtue includes integrity, industry, and responsibility. If our children are not educated about the attributes of character necessary to succeed in life, they will not find happiness.
C. If our young people are going to be successful in meeting the tough challenges facing them in society, we need to instill mutual respect, tolerance, empathy, civility, humility, honesty, and resolution. Space limits the discussion of the above qualities but you already know what they mean if you are displaying good character.
D. Public Service must be taught to our children. We should teach our young people that they can be proud of public service, that it is stimulating and rewarding. Public service can take many forms from elected public office to volunteer service in the community. The active participation of our children in public service will ensure the greatness of our country. They must become interested in the political and social community around them.
E. A sound education must be taught about our alliances. Our children must understand and appreciate that they are citizens of the United States and also citizens of the world. Our children must grasp this relationship and understand their history. If they do not, they will not be able to effectively appreciate or participate in our varying levels of representative government.
Another one of the greatest gifts to give our children is to instill confidence and determination in whatever they attempt to do. Confidence and determination lead to success regardless of the difficulties to be faced.
The above suggestions are merely to jumpstart thinking about our relationships with our children. Your list will have many more, and perhaps will be different from mine, however, if we are diligent in instilling the above ideals in our children they will find their own paths in life easily whether they be in academics or as skilled trades people. What is important is that we carefully consider the gifts we give to our children? Our influence on them is greater than we realize.
Sadly, there is one gift that our government and we parents are giving our children which is unfair and will cause great hardship for years; it is the bestowing of a huge debt (close to $300,000,000.00), on them through no fault of theirs. If we truly value our children, and wish them to have better lives than we have built for ourselves, we have no choice but to stand up, not only for deficit reduction, but for a systematic plan to reduce the burden of debt that we are piling up daily. Today’s parents and grandparents owe it to their children to take care of their own debts. We must not burden our children with our foolish and wasteful ways; they deserve better.
You and I know that we enrich our own lives as we educate our children. From our young people, we refresh our thinking about optimism, enthusiasm, and new ways of looking at old questions. Indeed, from our children, we learn how to scan new horizons. Let us not place the mistakes we have made on their young shoulders. Let them fly free from the nest and seek new goals. When we give them gifts that add to the zest for life, we can rest assured that we have been good parents.
Whatever gifts we give to our children, tell them over and over, “We love your uniqueness. We love you. We want you to grow up to be all that you can be. You don’t have to be like us. You’re bright and creative. You have blessed us by coming. We really love you,” ending with a great bear hug. Isn’t that what you wished your mother and father had said to you but you never heard? What greater gift is there?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Beware of non-accredited schools and courses!
Case history with a twist:
Kimani is a 23-years old, bright young man who wants a college degree. He was recruited into an Equal Education Opportunity program at Kean University in NJ, after high school graduation. His father encouraged him to sign the papers. Neither understood the consequences. Kimani was 17 at the time.
Essentially, this EEO program meant Kimani signed for a low interest loan of $8000+ and was put into non-credit college courses. Apparently under this program all kids have to take these remedial classes whether they need them or not, and end up with big loans to pay back and no college credit to show for their efforts. In addition to the loan, Kimani had $2700+ he had to pay directly to the college. His father had agreed to pay it, but failed to do so.
Kimani has been working jobs on and off to pay down the debt to Kean while trying to take classes at Mercer County Community College. His debt to Kean is now $1800. And here's the kicker: Until this $1800 gets paid to Kean, Kimani can not apply for any type of aid for school.
Kimani went to see a financial advisor who does nothing but help families figure out their options to pay for college. He has agreed to help Kimani free of charge. And, because Kimani will be 24 in November, this financial advisor thinks he can help Kimani tap into opportunities to attend college for little or no cost.
Now, our blogger's collective wisdom and contacts are invited to help try and figure out how to help Kimani get this $1800 bill paid off. So far, $500 has been put towards the bill. What else is needed is ideas about grants, awards, whatever from businesses, organizations, fraternities, churches, whatever. If there are organizations that anyone is affiliated with that make these kinds of awards, would you please forward them on to here within this blog site?
Kimani's predicament needs to be brought to light so others can be better informed of their decisions. Otherwise, this is akin to the mortgage companies selling loans to people who will never be able to handle the financial burden. Why saddle young people with massive debt while not delivering any kind of college credit?
Thanks for your collective wisdom and help as we try to assist Kimani.
Susan E. Ferrara, Ph.D.
Kimani is a 23-years old, bright young man who wants a college degree. He was recruited into an Equal Education Opportunity program at Kean University in NJ, after high school graduation. His father encouraged him to sign the papers. Neither understood the consequences. Kimani was 17 at the time.
Essentially, this EEO program meant Kimani signed for a low interest loan of $8000+ and was put into non-credit college courses. Apparently under this program all kids have to take these remedial classes whether they need them or not, and end up with big loans to pay back and no college credit to show for their efforts. In addition to the loan, Kimani had $2700+ he had to pay directly to the college. His father had agreed to pay it, but failed to do so.
Kimani has been working jobs on and off to pay down the debt to Kean while trying to take classes at Mercer County Community College. His debt to Kean is now $1800. And here's the kicker: Until this $1800 gets paid to Kean, Kimani can not apply for any type of aid for school.
Kimani went to see a financial advisor who does nothing but help families figure out their options to pay for college. He has agreed to help Kimani free of charge. And, because Kimani will be 24 in November, this financial advisor thinks he can help Kimani tap into opportunities to attend college for little or no cost.
Now, our blogger's collective wisdom and contacts are invited to help try and figure out how to help Kimani get this $1800 bill paid off. So far, $500 has been put towards the bill. What else is needed is ideas about grants, awards, whatever from businesses, organizations, fraternities, churches, whatever. If there are organizations that anyone is affiliated with that make these kinds of awards, would you please forward them on to here within this blog site?
Kimani's predicament needs to be brought to light so others can be better informed of their decisions. Otherwise, this is akin to the mortgage companies selling loans to people who will never be able to handle the financial burden. Why saddle young people with massive debt while not delivering any kind of college credit?
Thanks for your collective wisdom and help as we try to assist Kimani.
Susan E. Ferrara, Ph.D.
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