We remember a time when bad children were just that, bad children. Here in the United States where we tend to take things to the extreme. Children are no longer considered misbehaving but considered guilty, by some school officials, of criminal behavior. Time is too short for us to truly comment about these “zero tolerance” policies except to say that they seem more like an excuse for those in charge to do “zero thinking”.

Regardless, we are glad to see there is some justice in the world. The following is an excerpt from an AP story posted at CBS News:

The family of a third-grader who was handcuffed and jailed after misbehaving at school will receive $221,000 from the city and its insurer to settle a lawsuit.

Jerry Trujillo, then 8, was sent the school counselor’s office after he hit another child with a basketball in August 2004, his mother said. The juvenile citation for disorderly conduct said Jerry then “got out of control and refused to go back to class.”

After police were summoned, Jerry was booked into the city jail, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and placed in a holding cell while adult inmates in a nearby cell taunted him, according to the lawsuit.

A slightly humorous story making the rounds on the Internet posted below:

From CNN:

The school purchased 23 PlayStations last month to use with educational games for third- through fifth-graders.

But not all the teachers took to the video games — one became so flustered that she didn’t want use them in class, principal Sharon Sand said.

So on Wednesday, students gave advice on plugging in the machines, using the software and navigating the buttons.

Dora the Explorer ? my son is absolutely enthralled with her! This is his show of choice when he gets to watch TV. It is a very good show ? teaches a number of things to include Spanish! He could count to 10 in Spanish before he could count to 10 in English and that was right around is 2^nd birthday. A very good educational show as well as a main character that I think my son has a crush on (plus he loves Boots the monkey as well)!

When I first considered placing advertisements on my site I found a blog, called Subnixus, that catered toward how best to market your site on the Internet. I have enjoyed visiting Subnixus the past several months and I’ve honestly learned a lot. I recommend the place for someone trying to figure how they can make money by placing advertisement on their own site. However on a recent visit I was disappointed to read an article titled, Why College is a Scam. Maybe I’m showing my age, but I continue to be disturbed with so many young adults not understanding the true values of education. I am even more disturbed with the lack of students seeking an education in science, math, computer science, and engineering . From time to time, I have seen the following facts from a study on the state of engineering degrees in the United States posted in newspapers and magazine articles:

Last year alone, more than 600,000 engineers graduated from higher education institutions in China. In India, this number was 350,000. In the United States there were roughly 70,000 and the number of engineering degrees awarded in the United States is down 20 percent from the peak year of 1985.

American society as a whole seems to have less value for education, especially in the sciences and math, than when I was growing up. Maybe I’m more sensitive to these numbers since I am a scientist at heart…but isn’t anyone else disturbed by this trend? While I feel there should have been something done to help reverse this downward spiral sooner, I’m glad at least that it is finally getting some some well deserved attention by the Bush administration.

Getting back to the article posted on Subnixus, the following is my open letter to the author:

My primary field is in the sciences for which there is no other way to get that education without going through at least a four-year degree program. Recently, I went the opposite direction going for a Master’s Degree in Administration with the focus on Information Systems. Yes, there were times I was sitting in the classroom and thinking, is this really worth it? How could I not consider whether the degree was worth the price I was paying. A price that was not only paid in money for tuition but also my time. During those years I missed so many Sunday football games and evenings with the family. Quite frankly, when I was pursuing a higher education I felt I was living the life of a monk with little connection to the “real world”.

Did I feel at times the university was just taking my money with the only reward at the end being a piece of paper? Yes, I did. Did my employer give me a penny more after receiving my piece of paper? No they didn’t. Was it tempting to call it quits? Yes it was. Do I regret that I spent my time in college and completing my degree? No, I don’t have a single regret and here is why. If there is only one thing that is important in life to assure success it is to “follow though” and finish what you started. Completing what you set out to do is what separates the winners and the losers.

And no, I’m not implying the author of the article is a loser. He seems to me to be very intelligent and as I’ve said, I learned a lot from his writings. I am however saying that I have deep respect for the roommate that he writes about. A roommate that despite having someone tell her that “she has been brainwashed” is still sticking it out and working on her degree. I too had roommates that dropped out and were living the good life while I pursued my studies. I know what she is going through. It’s not easy to eat Ramen Noodles when your roommate is eating steak.

One of my former roommates thought I was crazy when the first job I accepted after getting my degree. The job paid less than what he when he worked at the local video store. Fast forward twenty years to the present and I promise you he does not carry the same attitude. It is a struggle to realize you didn’t finish what you started when you had the time, energy, and youth to do it. Regardless of the money he may or may not be making now, he regrets not following through and finishing his degree. As a good friend of his, I too regret he didn’t finish what he started.

Respecfully,

Bryan from Like that Idea

Every Sunday my wife hears me complain about our local Sunday paper. Unlike some people, my complaints are not so much centered on the quality of the content, but the quantity of the pages. You have to consider that I’m originally from a very large city with a Monday paper that on a slow news day could swallow the newspaper now left on the front steps of my door. However this Sunday my local paper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, had so many good stories to read that I forgot my usual grumpiness.

One of the articles is about Otakuye Conroy, 29, who was the little girl that played Kicking Bird’s daughter in the movie Dances with Wolves. She started her life on the Pine Ridge reservation here in South Dakota in a one room house with no electricity before her family moved on to Rapid City. From those humble beginnings she has accomplished a lot:

By August the girl from Pine Ridge reservation expects to have a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University. That’s only one chapter in the story of an actor and marathon runner with two master’s and bachelor’s degree from Nortre Dame.

While the Pine Ridge reservation is only a few hours from my house, I can’t claim I know what life is really like there. I do hope though that Otakuye Conroy’s story inspires others to succeed even when you start off with so little in this world. With her interest in science and her unique background as a member of the member Oglala Sioux tribe I can’t but help think she has so much more to accomplish.

The Argus Leader usually only provides links to its pages for about a week and after that places them in their fee based archvie. If you are interesed in the article online, I would advise you to read it soon. The article is titled Budding scientist started in S.D. and written by Randy Hascall.