skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Max Roosevelt, in the Feb. 17 The New York Times article "Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes", writes that many students entering college today have the expectation that they will receive above average grades in exchange for simply showing up to class. A recent study on this phenomenon was conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and it found that a third of the students surveyed expected to receive B's for merely attending lectures and completing the required reading. This sense of entitlement is causing a rift in the student-teacher dynamic as more and more students are challenging the grades they receive.
As an adult student resuming her education, I cannot help but be appalled by the behavior exhibited by my peers in this article. Education, in my mind, is all about individual growth and the research presented in this article reveals that many of my colleagues are more concerned about grades than they are about the actual knowledge they take away from the experience.
The article reveals that instructors are now being tasked with having to explain to their students that the grade they receive should be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I found it troubling that college professors now have to "re-teach" students about what education is truly all about; reading for knowledge and writing to explore ideas.
While I can relate to my peers in their quest for high marks, I believe that simply focusing on grades is an exercise in mediocrity. It is only when one pursues their educational interests in a meaningful and genuine way that excellence is achieved.
Mary Lynne Vellinga, in the Feb. 3 Sacramento Bee's "1930s-era work boosted spirits and left a legacy", writes about how President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal impacted Sacramento during the Great Depression.
The article recalls the many projects that stemmed from the New Deal that are a part of the city's living legacy. Through the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps local projects, such as construction of the Tower Bridge, provided both jobs to those in need as well as contributed to the city's infrastructure.
Not having been raised in Sacramento, I found this article to be incredibly informative. While I found the underlying comparison to FDR's New Deal to President Obama's economic stimulus plan a bit opportunistic, I really enjoyed learning about all of the great works done by Depression-era workers that can be found all around the city.
As a Sacramentan, I have the privilege of walking among these amazing, historical testaments to our nation's ability to rise up from the depths of economic despair on a daily basis. In an instant however, I was saddened by the realization that it took me 15 years to discover these amazing historical treasures. I then wondered, how many of my fellow city mates just realized that the state's capital reaped some incredible rewards from the amazing projects created by the New Deal?
From the aforementioned Tower Bridge, to the grand water towers that hover mightily above us - one behind Sacramento City College and the other behind the Safeway on Alhambra Boulevard - FDR's legacy lives and breathes in the capital of California. Because these structures surround us in silence, it is up to all of us to ensure that they live on and are not forgotten.
With hard economic times looming for just about everyone on the planet, things just got a little bit tougher for those of us living in the state of California. On Jan. 25, 2009, the Sacramento Bee reported that state Controller John Chiang's recent statements suggest that the state may have to resort to issuing IOUs in lieu of payment to many of the businesses it receives goods and services from.
While those of us in the 'real' world would have to declare bankruptcy in order to bailout of our financial woes, the state government has the luxury of issuing IOUs to its creditors. Really? In a time where California is arguably the most powerful state in the union, and it's thinking that it may have to resort to IOUs to perform its basic functions, what does that mean to those of us that are still trying to eke out a decent existence?
There is close to $3.7 billion in monies owed to college students who rely on financial aid, county public assistance programs, as well as the myriad companies that do business with the state on a daily basis, that could essentially be cut off in an instant. These are just not dollars we are talking about, we're talking about real people here. Local, hard-working people that are just trying to hold onto what they have in these economically uncertain times.
Chiang regretfully puts this out on the table as the state's only option to be able continue to operate. Is this yet another indication of the tougher times that await Californians in the coming year?
April Showers? No problem. Head to Indio, Calif., during the weekend of April 17, 2009 to revel in the desert sun while experiencing one of the most eclectic lineups in music festival history.
The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival is one that follows in the grand tradition of Woodstock - open air stages that host the most creative artists of the day. Coachella 2009 boasts an incredible array of artists, from the legendary Paul McCartney - yes, THAT Paul McCartney folks - to the quirky Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's and their fabulously subversive front woman Karen O.
Since 1999, the small town of Indio, located in the desert region of the Coachella Valley, has hosted the world-renowned festival that brings together all walks of music lovers. From the Hollywood socialite - yes, Paris Hilton has attended in previous years - to the new-school hipster, Coachella is an experience that unites all.
Much to the chagrin of an old friend, I have yet to experience this incredible co-mingling of incredible artists and those who worship them. With the likes of Silversun Pickups, TV On the Radio, and Public Enemy performing I'd be crazy not to fork over the $300 plus to take part in the three-day event.
That brings me to my current dilemma, alas, I do not have $300 and, unfortunately, I'm sure to endure yet another year of scorn and ridicule from Mr. Jones. Perhaps next year Minus the Bear will be back in the lineup (Can't BELIEVE I had to miss them last year) and I'll really have to sell my soul to the devil for that entrance fee!
