wow

Have You...

Voted yet???

Alright - I suppose it's not November 4th, yet. But if you have mail-in voting or early voting access, Please take advantage! It's quick, it's easy, it's IMPORTANT!!

And as a sidenote, God bless Obama. Seriously - in the "May the Lord Bless You and Keep You" way. In the "May God Protect You and Your Family" way. A story was released to the news yesterday that, last week, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms uncovered another plot to assassinate Obama. This is the second time they have "foiled" such plans. And you know there have to be more out there. Very real. Very scary. Bless Obama, bless his family. Hell, bless us all.

Ahhh...

"Your thinking is clear today, dear Aquarius, and you will find that generally things are running smoothly. Your perspective on everything is very much in line with where you need to be at this time. In other words, you are doing everything exactly right. Be yourself and let other people adapt to your way of thinking. There is no need to keep hiding the truth of who you really are."

There have been ups and there have been downs. Such is the way of life. And sometimes there are more frequent ups-and-downs, or the ups and downs are more drastic - the highs may seem higher, the lows lower. The last couple of weeks have fallen into the "more frequent" category. But on Wednesday I finally found some peace and tranquility. I sat there in the chair in my counselor's office, holding the pillow close in my lap like I always do, and when we started I may have been tense and fidgety. But by the end, my entire being had relaxed. I've gotten there - that place where Peter gets in Office Space - but it has always involved meditating. This is the closest I have gotten while still awake & conversing. Crazy, but cool. And of course there are still little hiccups - like statistics tests and tons of reading and so much work to do for school I don't know how/when it's gonna' get done - but I feel anchored. Ahhhhh. And I'm gonna' love it while I've got it.

My Masterpiece

At last, here the the fruits of my labor -
Well...here is one fruit of some of my labor - but I'm kinda proud of it. I have managed a one-page summary comparing Obama and McCain's positions on education issues.

Granted, it's really, really a summary, but that almost takes more work than just regurgitating everything I can get my hands on. No, instead I have to go through everything I can get my hands on, and then decide what the main points are and how to compare them on one page.
And try to stay unbiased (and un-sarcastic) while I write it out.

So, anyway, as much as I would like to say I'm so cool and politically active that I did all this for fun/personal education, but such is not the case. A fellow grad student and I are co-editors of the Ed Psych Society Newsletter, and we decided it's important to help keep grad students (and other members of the campus community who might stumble across our newsletter) informed of issues outside of the school bubble we so often get trapped in. And because education issues haven't exactly captured the spotlight in the current presidential race, and because we are, afterall, in the field of EDUCATIONAL psychology, we thought it might be nice to provide a little cheat-sheet looking at Obama and McCain's respective positions.

And although it's for the newsletter, why not share it here, as well?
(besides, that way, y'all can tell me if I've got some blatant misconceptions goin' or fail miserably at remaining unbiased or whatever...). And remember, it's a summary. And the formatting isn't as pretty, but that's okay

So have fun, enjoy, or do what you will. I feel like I deserve a beer...but it'll have to wait 'til Friday...

Special Report: 2008 Election
The Presidential Candidates Weigh in on Education*

Barack Obama & Joe Biden
“Lifetime Success through Education"

• Current Weaknesses of the Educational System
  o Shortcomings/unfulfilled promises of NCLB
  o Teacher retention
  o Soaring college costs
• Teachers & Teacher Recruitment
  o Incentives for graduates with degrees in math & science to become teachers
  o Boost funding & support for teacher preparation programs (scholarships, accreditation requirements)
  o Expand mentoring programs to help w/ retention
  o Work with teachers to develop “new & innovative ways” to increase pay; allow districts to reward teachers in underserved areas, teachers consistently excelling in classroom, & mentor teachers
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
  o Reform, starting by increasing funding. Improve assessments, shift focus to individualized instruction
• Early Childhood Education
  o “Zero to Five” plan – support parents and children from infancy through pre-K
  o Expand Early-Head Start/Head Start
  o Provide affordable, high-quality child care
• K-12 Education
  o Address dropout crisis
  o Expand & Support (i.e., double the funding) for afterschool programs & college outreach programs
  o Math and Science = national priority
• Higher Education
  o Simplify the financial aid process
  o Make college affordable: American Opportunity Tax Credit
• Accountability
  o Improve the current standardize assessments; long-term tracking of student readiness for college and/or the workplace
  o Support schools needing improvement, rather than punishing them

For more information, visit www.barackobama.com/

John McCain & Sarah Palin
“Excellence, Choice, & Competition in Education”

• Current Weaknesses of the Educational System
  o Cultural problems
  o Avoidance of genuine accountability
  o Parents lack power/control/choice
• Administrators, Teachers & Teacher Recruitment
  o 5% of funding set aside for states to recruit teachers graduating in top 25% of class or participating in alternative teacher recruitment program
  o Incentive bonuses for: high performing teachers to locate in “the most challenging educational settings;” teachers in subjects like math & science; teachers who demonstrate student improvement
  o Funding for professional development
  o Localized control of funding (i.e., school principals)
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
  o Build on NCLB; shift focus to inspiring individual students vs. assessing group averages
• Early Childhood Education
  o Comprehensive approach, focus on literacy & language development, math, motor & social skills.
  o Direct funding toward early hearing/vision screening, immunizations.
  o Educate parents on preparing children for a productive educational experience
• K-12 Education
  o Keep parents informed of child’s performance; Offer parents more choice/control
  o Single criterion: raise student achievement
  o Funding specifically for technological advancement
• Higher Education
  o Simplify the financial aid process
  o Remove/simplify regulatory barriers
• Accountability
  o Every federally supported program MUST include child-centered, outcome-based standards for quality
  o Parents must have more choice/control: Allow parents to pull children from “failing” schools

For more information, visit www.johnmccain.com/

Ya' don't say

shoulda read this before I got out of bed - might have been more prepared for the day ;)

"Your boat is likely to be rocked today, dear Aquarius, to the point where you and all of your belongings could go overboard. Be prepared to swim for shore. Grounding and stability are the keys to maintaining a healthy headspace, especially when it comes to your ever-fluctuating emotions. Listen to your heart for the answers."