As a college advisor, I spend my days talking to students. We talk about their classes, study strategies, their lives, and their dreams. I love looking at the world through their eyes and hearing how they justify their actions. I find their stories amusing, and quite frankly, I think it keeps me young. But over the past couple of years, I’ve heard some disturbing stories from the students about their classroom teachers who have verbally abused them in front of their classmates.

Before I launch into the students’ statements, I want to say that all of the teachers I know, and especially the Merit Academy teachers, are caring and remarkable.

They instill the love of learning and their passion for their subjects is contagious. Teachers are underpaid and unappreciated.  After dealing with pressure from parents to hand out A’s and from administration for policies that make it hard for them to do what they love to do: teach children, I’m surprised teachers stay in this field at all.

Back when I entered education 37 years ago, teachers named reading groups the Bluebirds and Robins, just to make sure that children wouldn’t know how they ranked in the class.  Naturally, all of the kids knew that the Robins were the smarter than the Bludbirds, but the teachers went through great effort to make every student comfortable and encouraged. That’s why I don’t understand what’s happening in the classrooms today. 

Just last month, one of my gentle and sweet 16-year old students “Jake” told me that he was dropping his Spanish class. He told me that he couldn’t take it anymore and refused to be in Mrs. X‘s class.  When I inquired further, I was appalled that any teacher, or human being, would ever degrade a student who was struggling.  Jake was working with a Merit Spanish tutor to fill in the gaps so he could catch up in class.  When he asked her for help to prepare for the final exam, in front of his entire class, Mrs. X said, “Why? You’re going to do shit on the test.” GASP! What teacher uses “shit” in class and why would she condemn him for asking for help?  Then, when Jake walked up to the front of the class to give his Spanish presentation, Mrs. X said, “Pray for this to be over!” Seriously? 

Then just last week, another one of students faced similar harassment from his middle school math teacher. “Joe” has learning disabilities and math is difficult for him.  After the teacher presented a new lesson to the class and gave them time in class to start their homework, Joe raised his hand and asked the teacher for help on his equation. Instead of helping Joe on the problem, the teacher said, “I can’t answer that question; you need to be more specific.” A good teacher might have responded with “Where are you getting lost?” or “Let’s see what you’ve done so far…”.  It doesn’t take a genius to see that Joe will not be raising his hand in class again.  Other students in the class have commented on how the teacher answers their questions but that he is really mean to Joe.

The parents of both of these boys have approached their school’s administration to stop this abuse.  Mrs. X told the VP that Jake’s statement was not true and that she doesn’t recall it taking place. REALLY? He was so mad that he wanted to meet with her to look her straight in the eyes and ask her why she lied to the VP.  He’s also considered having the students in the class sign a petition stating that they heard Mrs. X‘s remarks.  Joe’s mother is meeting with the special ed teachers to get him out of that class.

Are these freak coincidences, or is verbal abuse a new trend in the classroom? 

Concerned about the giant plastic gyres growing out of control in our oceans? I am. These trash vortexes consist of massive collections of plastic trash that end up in the oceans killing wildlife and destroying ecosystems.  The Pacific gyre is the size of Texas! Still, everyone keeps buying plastic because products are made with it and packaged in it.

Two young women (20-somethings) have found a living mushroom that actually consumes plastic.  That’s right, it eats plastic!  Not only does it digest plastic, but the mushroom is also edible itself!  They’ve found all sorts of these mushrooms that are native to regions all over the world.

Check out this article and watch this video about their research: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/two-women-turn-plastic-to-food-with-a-powerful-mus/

Love to see brilliant young women solving our gyre problem with edible mushrooms!

For Jaclyn’s party at the Saddle Rack, I sculpted a boot using layered cakes and covered it with fondant. 

For those of you newbies, fondant is the sugary frosting layer that gives the perfectly smooth texture you see on professional cakes. Not sure I like the taste of fondant but I like rolling it out and decorating with it.

What I really like about fondant is that you can lay it over any shaped cake and it creates a smooth canvas. Then, you can create just about anything! 

For Jaclyn’s boot, I used a spiked roller tool to create the “stitching.” By using the premade colored fondant, it was easy to add the brown leather and black soles to the boot.

You can buy fondant at art supply stores and Walmart.  Have fun making your next cake!

When children make art without the interference of art teachers, parents, or critics, it has personality and directly relates to the way the child perceives the subject. It’s real art.

I remember the day I first saw this precious elephant sculpture.  I was 9 years old and visiting my cousin Jeff who was just 5 years old. 

Being the oldest of 11 cousins, I always took care of the little ones and he was certainly my favorite. So when I walked into his house, he proudly showed me his elephant creation.  I loved this sculpture because it reminded me of him.  I could see how he shaped the elephant – his thumb impressions were clearly visible.

Every time I visited Jeff after that, I asked to see his elephant.  I even asked him if I could have it but his mom wanted to keep it as a memento.

Fast forward to last November 2015.  I was visiting my aunt who now lives with Jeff. We were sitting around the dining room table feasting on an early Thanksgiving dinner because Nicole was going to have to work on Thanksgiving day. My 84-year-old aunt handed me a gift as we gorged ourselves on turkey.  She had crocheted a little pouch that held – you guessed it! – the little elephant that Jeff made 50 years ago.

Now I have my favorite sculpture made by my precious cousin.  

I’m glad to see fashion moving away from high-end snobby labels to everyday objects!

I’ve never understood why the fashion trends dictate what we wear, and how everyone rushes out to buy the latest styles – even if they don’t look good in them.  Just because everyone is wearing skinny jeans doesn’t mean that they should.  You know who I’m talking about! Sometimes I wonder why people think they look good just because they’re sporting the latest designer pants.  When they’re all squished into their clothes, if they have normal body fat, they’ll be popping out above the waistline and around their bras. And, just because pastels are in, doesn’t mean that they’re flattering for your skin tone.

That’s why I was encouraged that this season’s fashion models are wearing clothes that display everyday objects like phones and symbols instead of touting a ridiculously expensive designer’s tag.  Keeping up with the Joneses by wearing $300 tennis shoes and carrying $2,000 handbags is outrageous.  It’s pushed our youth into killing one another just so they can wear Michael Jordan shoes.  Really? I’ve seen kids brutally bash girls for buying “knock-off brand” purses.  The real question is why do these kids care so much about whether a product is “real” and why is it that they know what signs to look for in knock-off brands.  I don’t have a clue. With their busy lives and sensory overload, shouldn’t they be saving their brain power for more useful things?

[Source: The Guardian]

I remember when I first heard that guns were allowed on college campuses from a student at the University of Arizona.  At first I thought she was joking – afterall, how could mixing college parties, brawls, and guns be a good idea to anyone? But the Pro-Gun Movement in America is promoting legislation and litigation to force public colleges and universities to allow concealed guns on campus.

Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansa, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, Texas, and Wisconsin have been forced to allow firearms on their campuses (classrooms, dorms, grounds, or parking lots). Worried about where your babies are going to college?  Check out this map that shows which colleges allow guns and various stipulations. 

How could this be happening?  It doesn’t take a genius to know that mixing drinking/drugs with guns is a bad idea. In the past, when college kids or frat brothers had disagreements, shouting matches or fistfights were the worst that could be expected, and the only people they could hurt were themselves.  Adding guns to that kind of volatile mix leads to COLLATERAL DAMAGE, and no one needs that.

[Source: RawStory]

I just read a fascinating article in the New Yorker Magazine about China’s fuerdai, the new wealthy “1%” in China.

For the past 2 centuries, China has been very poor so this new class of billionaires is known as the rich second generation. These nouveau riche don’t have previous generations to guide them on how to behave in public like the aristocrats of the west. China’s government has recently provided a crash course in traditional Chinese values and social responsibility to 70 children of billionaires. Meanwhile, reality shows like “Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver” are watched by Chinese people all over the world.  Hmm.  It’s kinda like the obsession Americans have with the “Housewives of…” and the Kardashians.  Nope, not me – never watched any of these shows!

The super rich in China are sending their kids to the west for education and culture. Good schools in China are almost impossible to get into, so these parents are sending their kids to western high schools and colleges. One of my Chinese students told me that many of her friends’ Chinese parents aren’t concerned about the quality of the education, but just about the reputation of the school and the grades they receive.

In order to diversify and protect their finances, these super rich families want their children to purchase real estate and establish roots outside of China. They aren’t looking to reel their children back to China like they did during the last century. Interesting…

[Source:The New Yorker]

Did you know that every 2 minutes, a woman is raped in America?

Officers asked men who had sexually assaulted women how to protect women from future attacks, and here’s what they learned: 

Rapists aren’t looking for sexy or beautiful women, they’re looking for easy targets. 

Who knew?

Here’s what rapists look for:

1. Woman with long hair in a ponytail, bun, or braid; something easy to grab.
2. Woman wearing clothes that are easy to remove.
3. Woman who is distracted by a cell phone; easy to overpower.
4. Woman in grocery store or office parking lots, or in public restrooms.

Here’s what deters rapists:

1. Woman who puts up a fight and screams; it’s not worth it because they don’t have the time.
2. Woman carrying an umbrella or something large that could be used to create space between her and the rapist.
3. Woman who yells that she has pepper spray and holds it out towards them.
4. Woman who pinches under their arms or upper inner thighs with all their might.
5. Woman who kicks or punches in the groin.
6. Woman who grabs their fingers and bends them back.

Here are ways to escape an abduction attempt:

1. If a robber demands that you give him your wallet or purse, toss it as far as you can throw it, and then run in the other direction. Scream as you run to attract attention.
2. If you’re thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and wave like crazy.
3. If the guy has a gun and he isn’t holding you, run away screaming. He will miss you 96 times out of 100 times, if he even pulls the trigger at all.

Here are ways to be aware of your surroundings:

1. Before getting into your car, check the passenger and back seats.
2. If parked next to a van, enter your car from the passenger side to avoid being pulled into the van.
3. Avoid walking in stairwells by yourself; take the elevator instead.
4. If you’re alone, don’t help others who claim to need your help.  If they really need help, call 9-1-1 and let the professionals help.

Share this with your female family and friends. Remind them of these tips when they go out so they remember what to be aware of and what to do in case of an attack. 

What’s going on with standardized tests? 

Maybe because colleges aren’t relying on them so much anymore, the test companies are scrambling to change up their game. The SAT just made drastic changes that started in January 2016, and the ACT has been making little changes over the past few years. These changes aren’t earthshaking but it’s important to note what they are because most of the ACT prep workbooks and programs don’t address these changes.  So keep reading because I’ve laid out the general theme and outlined the changes.

The ACT is trying to become a standardized test that will be used in elementary, middle, and high school. I think they’re expanding their demographics to ensure a foothold on testing students over their entire K-12 span – not just for college-bound juniors and seniors.  The new ACT questions are less tricky than the old SAT but you have to be able to focus and zip through the questions quickly because of the time constraints (less than a minute to answer each question).

The ACT is also trying to assess and predict students’ interests in colleges and majors. They ask students to complete a deluge of questions when signing up to take the ACT, questions that have nothing to do with setting up the test date. Do NOT answer any of the “optional” questions because they may use your responses against you. Yup, that’s right.  They actually send the colleges recommendations on “College Readiness,” which is their way of predicting whether or not you will be successful in particular college courses. What’s really worrisome is that they’ll do that without your knowledge or permission. 

Here’s how we speculate they use this information. If you answer questions about your future major or career and you do poorly on that section of the ACT, they may suggest to the college that you will not be successful in that major or that college. Yikes!  This is really stepping outside their position as a standardized test company. So play it safe and only answer mandatory questions until the ACT decides how they will use their information and whether colleges even review the ACT’s findings.

Changes in the new ACT:

1. Math: Increased difficulty in the math section because they’ve added 2-3 pre-calculus problems. Students who have taken pre-calculus or calculus may find this better because these advanced problems are fresher to them.  Sometimes advanced students miss easier problems because they haven’t done simple math in several years.
    
2. Reading: Added a new comparison between 2 passages section.  So far, most of the passages have been in the humanities area but they change it up so be prepared for any topic.
    
3.  Science: Reduced the number of passages from 7 to 6.  But, they have the same number of questions.  Most questions do not require scientific knowledge, but your ability to read charts and graphs. However, the new ACT has added about 3 questions that do require some science fundamentals.
    
4. Writing: Increased the time allowed from 30 minutes to 40 minutes, which is good.  The 2 readers evaluate the essay based on 4 criteria: (1) ideas and analysis; (2) thesis development and support; (3) organization and logic of topics; and (4) language use and standard English convention. Raw scores are now 8-48.  The new scaled scores (1-36) are generally lower than the old ACT.  For instance, a raw score of 9 equals a scaled score of 29, 10 = 31, 11 = 34 and 12 = 36. Under the old ACT, a 9 would be a decent writing score but now that they’re scaling it, a scaled score of 29 doesn’t look as good. The ACT organization is still trying to standardize their new grading system, so you can request a re-evaluation for $50.
    
5. Test Accommodations: If you have test accommodations with extended time to take the ACT, this would be the better test for you.  They allow you to complete any section you would like to take within the time frame.  This is very different from the SAT where you can only do one section per time block. In some cases, you can take the ACT over several days – that’s a huge bonus!

Many colleges are making the SAT/ACT optional, and for good reason.  If the colleges you’re hoping to attend require them, weigh out your strengths to determine which test is best for you. 

What kind of cake do you take to a Line Dancing and Bull Riding surprise birthday party?

A Rice Krispies Treat Cowboy Hat Cake, of course!

Yee Haw!