Support Groups, Dropping Out & Boredom

(This article was first published as Students List Boredom as Reason for Dropping Out on Technorati.)

Students List Boredom as Reason for Dropping Out

Things lately have gotten so bad at school I even unfriended my yoga support group.

And, as if that isn't enough to engender a passel of bad karma, not only did I unfriend them--I felt pretty darn tootin' good about it. Yep, that pretty much sums up the kind of school year I’ve had so far.

I'm just tired. I'm not really sure when things went south, I'm just sure that they did, and I figure no amount of yoga musings can fix that. 

So I really am not in the mood for all these quick fixes people keep coming up with or reasons this study or that study gives to solve or point out flaws with our educational system.

For instance, recently there was an article in the Dallas Morning News about a study indicating students dropped out because they were bored.

Bored?

I wonder how that would fly in my job… or your job… or any job… "Gee… Sorry, I don't want to do that because frankly I don't find that very interesting, exciting, thrilling…" Oh, let's just use the buzz word du jour… engaging.

Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise who currently serves as the president of a Washington, D.C. policy and advocacy organization was quoted in the article as saying, "The results from that survey are born out by national surveys. Those are the issues listed. One that seems to be listed often is that 'I'm bored.'"

I'm not really sure what to do with all of that. Don't get me wrong, the drop out rate is a national crisis with 1.2 million kiddos checking out of school every year, according to the Broad Foundation. The New York Times reported that we had slipped to No. 21 in high school completion and outlines the high cost of high school drop outs.
Obviously, we need to do something about the drop out rate. I'm all for making school relevant, but sometimes relevant isn't terribly exciting.
I suppose we could form a support group, but then I'd probably get bored and have to unfriend you.

The Numero Uno 2012 Edition of the Education Buzz--Life's a Carnival

Welcome to our first Education Buzz Carnival of the New Year. I initially resolved to have a clever New Year's Resolution Edition, but that resolution lastest about a nano-second because I was having trouble focusing and being witty–probably because of this whole weight loss thing. So let's just cut our losses (or the lack thereof) and call this edition the Numero Uno 2012 Education Buzz--Life's a Carnival and get cracking…

Let's do a little re-gifting with Nancy Flanagan's post. No, silly, not the present kind. She's talking about  "Re-Gifted: The Prickly Politics of the Academically Able over at Teacher in a Strange Land. She asks, "Are we cheating the gifted? Not any more than usual." 

Promise me you won't  become one of those Teachers You Don’t Want To Meet that Pat talks about over at Successful Teaching. 

Darren shares some More California Lunacy over at Right on the Left Coast.

Education guru Joanne Jacobs presents College dreamers meet reality giving us an update on what happened to those 59 fifth graders who were promised a college education back in 1988.

Jane Goodwin champions learning for those late risers over at Scheiss Weekly. while Tim over at Assorted Stuff shares how to be a better learner.

Oh and don't forget to check out my post on why we should all try out for Survivor.

If you missed science guru Steve Spangler's video about how to open a can of Pringles, prepare frozen food and celebrate Tebow touchdowns, you need to watch his video. (It's hilarious especially the ending.)

Funny About Money offers a solution for high education woes with his Modest Proposal while Mike the Gardener offers up how to combine vegetable gardening with science and math.   

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Well that concludes our Numero Uno 2012 Edition of the Education Buzz–Life's a Carnival. Join us here again on Wednesday, Feb. 1 for our next edition of the Education Buzz. Please submit your posts no later than Sunday, Jan. 29 by 5 p.m. CDT. Use this handy dandy form for your submissions and please keep in mind our submission rules…

1. No spam
2. Must be education related
3. Since the carnival may be organized around themes, not all submissions may run.
4. Please remember to post and link back to the carnival.

If you would like to host a carnival, pah-leese let me know by emailing me at mybellringers@gmail.com.  Also, don't forget to let me know if you find any broken links or problems with this edition of the Ed Buzz. 

As always…

“I’ve got this feeling that there’s something that I missed…”
–Snow Patrol

And, if I did, my apologies.

Fitness Challenge Update

For those of you keeping up with my "I'm-Frying-In-My-Own-Fat" Weight Loss Challenge, check out my latest post, Will Power and Outsourcing Self Control Key Factors in Keeping Diet Resolutions on Technorati.

To read it, you can click on the article name or the scale above, or you can go over to my fitness blog and read it there.

Survivor & the New Semester

(Editor's note: Don't forget the next Education Buzz: Life's A Carnival is scheduled to run Wednesday, January 18. Please turn in your submissions by Sunday, January 15 to be included. And, no you didn't miss the last one. Life just got in the way, and I wasn't able to pull it together in time. If you want to submit, use this handy, dandy form.)

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This upcoming week poses some interesting challenges.

Interesting as in how will we survive an entire week back.

Interesting as in how to survive the fourth newspaper deadline.

Interesting as in how to survive yearbook.

It always comes down to survival, doesn't it. And if I were on that reality TV series Survivor, I wouldn't survive a nano-second.

The new season, Survivor One World begins Feb. 15 on CBS.

Or, perhaps maybe I would.

People like me (teachers/publications advisers) possess a certain skill set.

You know, skill sets like…

•Surviving in a room surrounded by teenagers

•Thriving under pressure

•Problem-solving with limited resources

•Team building in the face of insurmountable odds

•Meeting deadlines

•Flawless communication skills which, at this point, in our society means the ability to talk, like, in complete sentences, you know, without, you know, using "like" like a gajillion times or "you know."

Hey, sounds a lot like those "qualifications" for those reality show contestants.

Perhaps we should sign up.

The 12 Favorite Bloggers Christmas Edition of the Education Buzz--Life's a Carnival

I'm not exactly sure what happened to the entries this go-around. I apparently did something wrong with the carnival scheduling, so if you submitted something, I didn't get it. 

Did you think that little snafu would stop me? No, siree, Missy. We're going with Plan B. There's no stopping this fun-filled extravaganza.

So welcome to My 12 Favorite Bloggers Christmas Edition of the Education Buzz--Life's a Carnival. Instead of our normal eclectic smattering of things buzzing about the EduSphere, I thought I would give you 12 of my favorite education bloggers. If you have a favorite blogger who wasn't included, please post a comment.

So in alphabetical order…drum-roll pah-leese…

12 of Richie's Favorite Bloggers

1. Assorted Stuff

2. The Detention Slip

3. Epic Adventures Are Often Uncomfortable

4. Joanne Jacobs

5. Learn Me Good

6. Right on the Left Coast

7. Scenes from the Battleground 

8. Scheiss Weekly 

9. Siobhan Curious

10. Steve Spangler (just because he blows up things) 

11. So You Want To Teach

12. Successful Teaching

Well that's it for this edition for the Education Buzz.  I sure hope you sang along to my Teacher's Twelve Days of Christmas posted below.

Join us here again on Wednesday, January 4 for the next edition. (I thought I would take a break from the carnival over the holidays.) Please submit your posts by Saturday, Dec. 31 by 5 p.m. CDT. Use this handy dandy form for your submissions, and this time, I think I did everything correctly so I should get them.

If you would like to host a carnival, let me know by emailing me at mybellringers@gmail.com.  Also, don't forget to let me know if you find any broken links or problems with this edition of the Ed Buzz.

Fitness Challenge Update

It's officially Week 16 of the "I'm-Frying-In-My-Own-Fat" Weight Loss Challenge. You can read my latest update Week 16–Taking a Breather in Skinny Jeans on Technorati.

To read it, you can click on the article name or the scale above, or you can go over to my fitness blog and read it there.

A Teacher's Twelve Days of Christmas

Every teacher knows the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas break is an educational No Man's Land. Many a good teacher has fought the good fight here and lost. Some have opted to declare a truce. Others just give up until the New Year revives them with a breath of hope.

Whichever category you find yourself in this holiday season, trying to keep the kiddos on task or teach them something during this time would even have tried the patience of  Mother Teresa.

Times like these call for a festive song of our very own. So raise the white flag, hunker down, grab some emergency chocolate and sing along…

Richie's Special
Twelve Days of Christmas for Teachers

On the first day of Christmas

my school gave to me…
one more required state exam

On the second day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

two broken desks

and one more required state exam

On the third day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the fourth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the fifth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam 

On the sixth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam 

On the seventh day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

seven frivolous field trips,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the eighth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

eight mindless meetings,

seven frivolous field trips,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the ninth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

nine snarky emails,

eight mindless meetings,

seven frivolous field trips,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the tenth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

ten extra duties,

nine snarky emails,

eight mindless meetings,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the eleventh day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

eleven class interruptions,

ten extra duties,

nine snarky emails,

eight mindless meetings,

seven frivolous field trips,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam

On the twelfth day of Christmas

my school gave to me…

twelve annoying announcements

eleven class interruptions

ten extra duties,

nine snarky emails,

eight mindless meetings,

seven frivolous field trips,

six new tech programs,

five stupid things,

four calling parents,

three more students,

two broken desks,

and one more required state exam