When is the Kindle going to come to schools?

See below...
Those large backpacks are hurting kids backs.
The luggage style backpack, while better on the back, is seen as "uncool" by the typical teenager.



MRIs Show the Effects of Heavy Backpacks on Kids’ Bodies: "

We've heard about the problem of heavy backpacks. Kids today are often burdened by having to carry too many books, and may even experience back pain.

Now, a new study using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans shows that typical backpack loads can indeed put significant stress on kids' spines. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego imaged the spines of kids while they wore 9, 18, and 26 pound bags (one at a time, of course). The scans showed that the heavier the bags, the more there was compression of the discs in the spine. Heavier bags also caused increased curvature of the lower spine in kids. (For the study, researchers measured the kids as they carried the bags using both straps; but the researchers point out that in reality, kids usually sling backpacks over one shoulder, making the strain on their backs that much worse.)

While most early-grade school age kids don't have the carry the load that say, middle-school and upper-school kids usually have to do, parents can make sure they take steps now to prevent problems as kids get more books in their bags. Check out these tips for preventing backpack injuries in kids. And if your child complains that his backpack is too heavy, take it seriously.

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Are little hunt and gatherers struggle with school...

Sitting, reading, PE taken away and 80+ minutes of math is tough for our little guys. Truth be told, it is tough for the little girls as well. However as we become more "corporate like" it does challenge the predisposed to be active boys even more. See Ms. Jacob's comments below:

The boy gap: "

My column on The Boy Gap is up on Pajamas Media. I look at two new books that ask why so many boys are doing poorly in school.

As reading and writing are pushed down to earlier ages, boys are struggling harder to meet higher expectations, writes Richard Whitmire, a former USA Today reporter, in Why Boys Fail.

“Each year since 1988 the gap between boys’ and girls’ reading skills has widened a bit more,” Whitmire writes. Boys aren’t wired for early verbal skills — and teachers aren’t trained in “boy-friendly” techniques to help them catch up.

Boys are asked to do too much too soon — and labeled hyperactive or bipolar or autistic if they act like little boys, writes psychologist Anthony Rao in The Way of Boys. “Girls use more words; they cooperate with others; they use social skills effectively. A boy’s brain by contrast, is working on other tasks that are equally important but not always valued as highly in schools, such as learning through touching and exploration, developing motor skills and engaging in spatial tasks. Boys also engage in normal aggression, and they have a healthy interest in challenging rules to test the limits of their power.”

Boy-friendly schools need not be hostile to girls. Teaching phonics and intervening to help kids with reading problems turns out to help boys quite a bit.

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Florida Girl, 6, Handcuffed After Temper Tantrum at School ---A sign of "privatized" education?

Florida Girl, 6, Handcuffed After Temper Tantrum at School - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

This is obviously a sad & extreme situation. However I wonder how children like this will be handled if we move to the teacher pay incentive based purely on test performances? Let's face it, if your child begins acting abnormal they will "literally" be taking money out of a teacher's paycheck, because every minute the teacher deals with your child, they are not teaching the other 31 students.

In a privatized environment that that they are pushing education to become more similar to...you can "lay off" employees that do not have self-motivation or are not great performers. The cream will rise to the top AND the low performers will be weeded out as to not take away from the rising cream. At least in a K-8 environment this type of get rid of the 20% every school year simply not realistic. So what does this newly "privatized" teacher do so he/she can help create an environment where all the cream is rising tot he top?

Since lay offs of 8 years aren't going to happen, then drastic manners where the student must immediately leave the class/school will begin happening. Quite simply, non scholastic behaviors will not be tolerated since from a time investment it will not pay off in improving my overall test scores. Twenty minutes lost on a behavior issue will be twenty minutes I could have been helping a child(ren) learn something that may show up on the test.

Also I wonder if teacher really buys into this "gotz to get paid" mentality if you start assessing students early in the year and see where the largest "upside" to my time investment will lie? That kid may have little upside or way too much baggage, I may have to count him/her as a loss and spend my time towards more students with "testing" upside or room for improvement.

The Science of the Hot Streak « The Talent Code

The Science of the Hot Streak « The Talent Code

1) Super-high goals, from the start. On his first day, to the open-mouthed disbelief of media and fans alike, new Jets coach Rex Ryan talked about how the team would be visiting the White House after winning the Super Bowl. The West 56th St. writers set their goals even higher. As Mel Brooks said, “It wasn’t only a competition to be funnier. I had to get to the ultimate punch line. I was immensely ambitious. It was like I was screaming at the universe, like I had to make God laugh.”

2) Strong shared identity. It’s no coincidence that Coach Ryan and Sid Caesar resemble each other in personality; or that they have created teams in the images of themselves — tough, sharp, provocative, funny as hell. Because they’re not just building a team — they’re creating a story.

3) Early failure is not a verdict, but a navigation point for better work. The Jets went through a tough patch early in the season, much like the Monday-Tuesday doldrums on West 56th. The bad days weren’t the end; they turned out to be stepping stones.

The setting of goals is important. However I really love the #2 and #3. The idea of building a narrative or "shared identity." I know this was also important during my time managing at Franklin Templeton. The shared narrative almost becomes your 'mission statement' since you want to actualize or personify that story.
With point #3, I keep thinking about to the Bill Walsh book that I read recently and how he would retell some of the lowest points of his career and then reply "and here is what I learned from this." It was like Walsh almost seemed grateful for these stomach punches since it gave him an opportunity to learn or grow.