It seems like I didn't have enough time in 2010 to get everything done. I checked in with last year's resolutions and felt like it was a draw. No surprise, I'm recycling all four of them for this year and adding one.
#1: Be healthier. I semi-succeeded with this one, in that I ended the year weighing less than I started the year. But I'm in worse shape, not better. This year, I'll be turning the big four-oh. I so want to hit my birthday forty pounds lighter than I am now. Turning the big four-oh, forty pounds lighter. Yep, sounds like a good omen to me :) Going to check out a gym tomorrow; have to join one. I'm too much of a wimp to 1) run and 2) run in the cold. Screw that business.
#2: Write, write, write. Re-query TALES FROM THE TRAIL. Finish HUNTED LYON and begin editing it. Get to work on the second book in the Lyon series, LYON'S ROAR.
#3: Spend more time with my little girl. Because, let's face it, there's just never enough time to spend with the equine loves of our lives. I'm even going to take riding lessons while she's at winter pasture so that I can utilize my seat better. I ride okay and have lots of hours on the back of a horse, but I'd like to have better leg/seat control. Estes is much better trained than I am; I'd like to be a worthy rider.
#4: Continue my Master's program. If I play my cards right and work my arse off, RockCrawlinChef and I will walk together at graduation in 2012. How cool would that be?
#5: Be a better person. I'm kind of a catty, snarky bitch. I'm trying to learn to live and let live. It's hard. I've always spoken my mind, hurt feelings be damned. I grew up believing that you say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said. I still believe that, but I think I can learn a lot from my Southern friends who can tell someone to go right to hell, give them directions, and make them think it was their idea to begin with. It's a skill I envy. I want to be able to bless hearts with the best of them.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, July 30, 2010
What If?
The U.S. Department of Education is “cracking down” on for-profit schools; namely career colleges, saying essentially that for-profit schools are preying on people who can’t afford to go to college and who really should not be in college.
I don’t believe that college should be for only people who can “afford” it; there aren’t many trust fund babies around anymore. Certainly not enough to support the all of higher education.
Let’s play what-if for a moment. What if for-profit, career colleges where closed down?
Most cars these days are computerized; gone is the day of going to the auto parts store and buying a manual that tells you how to fix your car. If you want your car fixed, you take it to a mechanic. Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has thirteen campuses spanning from coast to coast (Universal Technical Institute, 2010). Those thirteen campuses train mechanics in everything from motorcycles to automobiles – both gas and diesel – to marine engines. Go ahead, close down UTI and suddenly your car is useless when it breaks down.
Forget your car or motorcycle or boat for a moment; let’s talk about food. When you make a reservation at a favorite restaurant for a special occasion, chances are that the executive chef is a graduate of a for-profit college. Le Cordon Bleu North America has seventeen physical campuses and one on-line campus (Le Cordon Bleu North America, 2010).
And if you get sick from eating at a place where the executive chef was not educated in an accredited for-profit career college, you’ll head to your doctor’s office where his/her medical assistant will take care of you. While there are some states that do not require certification for medical assistants (Colorado is one of them), the trend is to hire certified, if not degree-holding, medical assistants. A trend I fully agree with; do you want to be taken care of by someone who hasn’t been fully trained in phlebotomy or pharmacology if you’re seen for food poisoning (because, remember the chef who cooked your special meal wasn’t fully educated)? I can tell you from twenty years’ experience in the medical field – you do not want the physician drawing your blood. It’s likely that the last time he/she has drawn blood was in their third or fourth year of medical school.
Of course, getting food poisoning from a special dinner and having to go to the doctor is all moot if your car’s broken and there aren’t any mechanics to fix it. I suppose you could call an ambulance, but those are typically staffed by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics who attended a for-profit career college.
I don’t think that the people who put this “crack down” together fully thought things through. Closing down for-profit schools will negatively impact the entire country; not just the schools themselves. The people who keep this country mobile, fed and healthy (and countless other professions) have most likely been educated at non-traditional, specialized schools.
My undergraduate degree in biology came from a traditional university. The only job I could land after I graduated, with my shiny new degree in hand, was building trophies at a trophy shop for $7.25 an hour. Eventually I was able to find a job in health care, but it wasn’t my degree that landed me the job. It was the experience I gained while working in the emergency department as an EMT that landed me the job. Career services at the university I attended consisted of a bulletin board with 3x5” cards tacked to it and a binder of employers who “may” hire a graduate.
Accreditation for a for-profit career college is extremely strict; the schools must prove that their graduates are employable after graduation and must keep track of the percentage of students placed in their field of study. Career services employees help with resume polishing, interview skills and job searches. Sure beats the “help” I got when I graduated.
I’m currently pursuing my Master’s degree. I chose a for-profit career college, which I know will provide me with the skills I need to be employable in my field.
~~~~~~~~~~
Le Cordon Bleu North America. (2010). Cooking School Campus Locations. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Le Cordon Bleu: http://www.chefs.edu/Campus-Locations
Universal Technical Institute. (2010). Universal Technical Institute Campus Locations. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Universal Technical Institute: http://www.uti.edu/Home/Campus-Locations
I don’t believe that college should be for only people who can “afford” it; there aren’t many trust fund babies around anymore. Certainly not enough to support the all of higher education.
Let’s play what-if for a moment. What if for-profit, career colleges where closed down?
Most cars these days are computerized; gone is the day of going to the auto parts store and buying a manual that tells you how to fix your car. If you want your car fixed, you take it to a mechanic. Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has thirteen campuses spanning from coast to coast (Universal Technical Institute, 2010). Those thirteen campuses train mechanics in everything from motorcycles to automobiles – both gas and diesel – to marine engines. Go ahead, close down UTI and suddenly your car is useless when it breaks down.
Forget your car or motorcycle or boat for a moment; let’s talk about food. When you make a reservation at a favorite restaurant for a special occasion, chances are that the executive chef is a graduate of a for-profit college. Le Cordon Bleu North America has seventeen physical campuses and one on-line campus (Le Cordon Bleu North America, 2010).
And if you get sick from eating at a place where the executive chef was not educated in an accredited for-profit career college, you’ll head to your doctor’s office where his/her medical assistant will take care of you. While there are some states that do not require certification for medical assistants (Colorado is one of them), the trend is to hire certified, if not degree-holding, medical assistants. A trend I fully agree with; do you want to be taken care of by someone who hasn’t been fully trained in phlebotomy or pharmacology if you’re seen for food poisoning (because, remember the chef who cooked your special meal wasn’t fully educated)? I can tell you from twenty years’ experience in the medical field – you do not want the physician drawing your blood. It’s likely that the last time he/she has drawn blood was in their third or fourth year of medical school.
Of course, getting food poisoning from a special dinner and having to go to the doctor is all moot if your car’s broken and there aren’t any mechanics to fix it. I suppose you could call an ambulance, but those are typically staffed by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics who attended a for-profit career college.
I don’t think that the people who put this “crack down” together fully thought things through. Closing down for-profit schools will negatively impact the entire country; not just the schools themselves. The people who keep this country mobile, fed and healthy (and countless other professions) have most likely been educated at non-traditional, specialized schools.
My undergraduate degree in biology came from a traditional university. The only job I could land after I graduated, with my shiny new degree in hand, was building trophies at a trophy shop for $7.25 an hour. Eventually I was able to find a job in health care, but it wasn’t my degree that landed me the job. It was the experience I gained while working in the emergency department as an EMT that landed me the job. Career services at the university I attended consisted of a bulletin board with 3x5” cards tacked to it and a binder of employers who “may” hire a graduate.
Accreditation for a for-profit career college is extremely strict; the schools must prove that their graduates are employable after graduation and must keep track of the percentage of students placed in their field of study. Career services employees help with resume polishing, interview skills and job searches. Sure beats the “help” I got when I graduated.
I’m currently pursuing my Master’s degree. I chose a for-profit career college, which I know will provide me with the skills I need to be employable in my field.
~~~~~~~~~~
Le Cordon Bleu North America. (2010). Cooking School Campus Locations. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Le Cordon Bleu: http://www.chefs.edu/Campus-Locations
Universal Technical Institute. (2010). Universal Technical Institute Campus Locations. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Universal Technical Institute: http://www.uti.edu/Home/Campus-Locations
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monster's in High School
Just got back from registering Monster for high school. Where on earth did time go? You know, I didn't have to send the others to high school until they were sophomores, but the school district, in its infinite wisdom, decided that they needed to move to a four-year high school. I realize that most of the school districts in the nation are four-years, but that doesn't mean it's right or that I like it.
Monster, as you know, moved to Arizona last year to "start fresh" with his dad. Well, apparently his fresh start got spoiled and he moved back in July. While he's still rambunctious and without a brain-mouth filter, he's been doing fairly well (at least to my knowledge). He asks to go places instead of just going (most of the time), is where he says he's going to be (when I call to check up on him), and is home not only on time, but early! He's getting tired of me reminding him that he can find trouble a mile away and join in, so he really needs to toe the line.
He seems to be okay going into high school. I'm uncertain. Maybe the "older" atmosphere will do him good; but I'm afraid that he'll continue to try to impress the older kids and keep getting in trouble. Only time will tell, I guess.
Here's hoping he's seen the light and chosen the right path...
Monster, as you know, moved to Arizona last year to "start fresh" with his dad. Well, apparently his fresh start got spoiled and he moved back in July. While he's still rambunctious and without a brain-mouth filter, he's been doing fairly well (at least to my knowledge). He asks to go places instead of just going (most of the time), is where he says he's going to be (when I call to check up on him), and is home not only on time, but early! He's getting tired of me reminding him that he can find trouble a mile away and join in, so he really needs to toe the line.
He seems to be okay going into high school. I'm uncertain. Maybe the "older" atmosphere will do him good; but I'm afraid that he'll continue to try to impress the older kids and keep getting in trouble. Only time will tell, I guess.
Here's hoping he's seen the light and chosen the right path...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Yay! The kids are back in school!
It seems really early for school to be starting, but it did and I'm so happy. Maybe now I can get on some sort of schedule (I say that every school year), but really I'm just happy that I know where my kids are supposed to be while I'm working. I'd like to say I know where they're at - but they are teenagers, so they're supposed to be in school and I want to believe that my children would never, ever ditch, but I wasn't born yesterday. Though, if I caught them ditching, I'd kill 'em. They know that. Hope the threat is enough :)
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