Elementary Rat Race

It really isn't easy being a kid growing up in these times. Yes, the 30 + age sect may have had to wait a whole week for Saturday morning cartoons, but at least we didn't have to worry about walking through metal detectors. Plus, it seems as if home work has become more important than socializing. I know, teachers, parents and the general population may probably disagree with me. However, I question if the push for higher quality elementary educational pressure is excluding opportunities for socializing which is a primary necessity of growing up.

What should be more important then constantly pushing for the best grades to be accepted into the best college is to try to guide the child both academically and socially.

An enthusiastically learning child will easily achieve educational goals if she/he is interested. They do not need to be put under pressure to study and do school work. Rather what is better is to focus on ensuring that they are developing a solid foundation socially. Even though some children will be able to achieve Honor Roll recognized grades, not being able to communicate with their surrounding environment, peers and co students will be more of a detriment for the future possibilities of success.

On the other hand, some children, even though they will give their academic best may not be able to achieve the expected educational goals, but will excel socially. If this is the case pushing them beyond a reasonable level will not help and will probably be more damaging for their future career possibilities.

Is all the extra home work from elementary to middle school truly necessary? Will the mounds of home work help the student maximize the best possible chance of obtaining a career where the child will not only excel in, but will also enjoy and can provide financially for themselves as well as a family?

Colleges look at the grades from the last three to five years of education, so the grades before this period are not college acceptance important.

What is important is that the child develops into a stable and responsible member of the community based on his or her own potential, personality and functionality. This theory falls right back into the “not all children will learn the same way” basket. I don’t think that a pressured elementary education that gives a lot of homework is necessary to breed an academically intelligence teenager ready to take on corporate America after four to six additional college years. While math skills may be one of the best measures of a child’s thinking skills, a social function is one of the best measures of a child’s convivial development.

In a 2006 survey by Scholastic Inc., 40 percent of kids between the ages of five and eight read every day. At fourth grade, though, that rate declined to 29 percent. Educational testing may be contributing to the decline. In an effort to meet government educational requirements such as the No Child Left Behind act, kids are being taught through "teach to the test," methods. The more instructional methods are replacing social studies and science books in the early elementary years.

Kids as young as 6 are being tested every 10 to 20 days or so just to ensure they're making sufficient progress. Than there's educational videos, educational play time and at home it's home work and even

tutoring, to help give them an edge towards a quality college education. Do we really need to embrace this new work ethic in kids so young? Is getting their first taste of failure before they learn to tie their shoes more important than developing good social skills?

More and more, elementary education has transformed from See Jane Run to SAT prep exams. In my elementary first grade, I learned to read and I learned basic writing structure. Now, reading lessons start in kindergarten and kids who don't easily get the swing of words and writing by the middle of the first grade are made to feel as though something is wrong with them, as if they are not smart enough to be in first grade. In some schools, music, art and even social studies are being replaced by writing exercises, spelling tests and math problems...and to think that at that age, I was so proud of my multi colored hand turkey.

Leaving The Rat Race

Senior Citizens and Careers

Why do so many people under age 35 consider life to be over at age 50? Type in the words Senior Citizens and Google spits out websites such as

• Senior Citizens' Resources
• USA.gov for Seniors
• For Senior Citizens their children & caregivers
• Old age
• Arts and Crafts Projects for Senior Citizens
• Programs and Services for Senior Citizens
• Thoughtful Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Senior Citizens

These people are older and not every one of them is ready for the rocking chair and arts and crafts table. If I live to see my fiftieth birthday or beyond, I have no intentions of sitting back with Laurence Welk type music and a glue stick.

One of my favorite beach memories is when I had breakfast with an acquaintance at a diner famous for being known as Home of the Weasel. I am who I am and I'm not (most of the time) afraid to show it. So as with most weekend summer days, I was wearing a tank top which shows my tattoos. A gent who had experienced approximately 70 summers addressed me loudly and enthusiastically telling me how he had just got his first tattoo and ear piercing and that his very adult kids thought he was “just crazy.”

The smile that statement brought me could have lite up a cave fifty feet underground.

Being a “Senior Citizen” or retired means different things to different people. It can signify new beginnings, new explorations and adventures and a reason to change jobs into a potentially more riskier field using prior experience and expertise gained over many years.

A recently published TeliaSonera report on communication trends in Sweden found that Blogs are increasingly more popular among senior citizens age range. Close to 80 percent of the Over 60 sect sends digital photos or film clips to family and friends and as many as 28 percent stated that they will start to use a web camera during 2007. Additional surprising techie evolvements has been video games. One of Nintendo's goals was to sell the Nintendo Wii to non-gamers and a large number of the non gamers have been Senior Citizens.

So it should not be a surprise that more Senior Citizens are not only continuing to work past the retirement age, but are changing careers. Many colleges not only welcome “Senior Citizens” but offer options such as discounted and free career oriented classes. Where once a career industry may have seemed too risky to enter, someone over 50 can now decide to take the chance.

The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) website, lists companies that employ and value the older American workforce; and the many of the career opportunities do not include the phrase “Welcome to Wal Mart”.

Not that there is anything wrong with WM, but after 50, I personally do not want to deal with a bunch of complainers for $7.50 an hour.

Most city's Department of Human Services also offer career opportunity advice, counseling and referrals to colleges and career training.

SeniorNet provides the over 50 adults a place to look for education, careers and where to access online email and resources. They also provide a variety of instructional materials and lists they're Learning Centers throughout the U.S.

WiredSeniors has its own search engine that links to senior specific sites. Communities include
Seniors Helping Seniors and Discussion Forums.

When typed in the word 'Jobs' I received a page full of links that seemed full of nothing but junk. However, after reading the description and investigating a couple of the links, I found that some of the resources were authentic. What was especially nice is that Wired Seniors places an orange Seniors Friendly marker next to some of the best results.

If you are a Senior Citizen and discover you either need or want an additional income or a career change, feel secure that you can and the opportunities are out there. The truly nice thing about career opportunity searching is that you have more power to be choosy in whom you choose to work for.

In the spirit of all that is humor... and what inspired me to research and write this blog entry, I would like to share My Generation

The Zimmers

Brought together for a TV documentary, the troupe recorded their own version of The Who's

My Generation - complete with the legendary bad boy (and girl) guitar-smashing and drum-throwing. The video ends in true rock 'n' roll style, with Buster Martin, 100, the oldest working man in Britain, giving the middle finger to the camera.

CDs of Zimmer music is set to hit retail shops (in Britain) on the 28^th of May and the profits will go to Age Concern. The documentary will be a three shows series called Power To The People which will air in May but only in Britain.

If I actually make it to the senior citizen age, I want to be wearing
Knee high combat boots, pushing a flame painted walker and giving the middle finger, just like Buster.

You Can Go To College

Too many many people choose to live complaining that they can not go to college. Yes, you can. In today's world, opportunities are available if you stop telling yourself you can't. Yes, you voluntarily choose to be poor. But what you get in return is more than a diploma and the potential for a better job.

• You gain insight into what you are capable of doing.
• You learn that money truly doesn't buy happiness
• You come to the understanding that there is a world of opportunities available if only you look for them.
• Lastly, you discover who your genuine friends are.

How To Live On Less Than $20,000 A Year &

Go To College

The government plans to WHIP Americans into shape

Work Place Health Trends

As a founder and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Fitness Caucus, I believe we have a duty to create as many incentives as possible to get Americans off the couch and moving. This is why I introduced H.R.1634, the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act.

Rand Corporation research found the proportion of the severely obese was 50 percent higher in 2005 than it had been in 2000.

Maybe I'm the best example of a person who should not be writing on the subject of Health & Fitness. Than again, I may be the best person to write about it. I'm not a Richard Simmons health groupie but I do recognize my need for structured health activities and work outs.

Automated personal trainer systems such as Access Personal Trainer will never work for me because I find them tedious. Just reading that it offers tables, fields, queries, forms, reports, detailed diagrams, dozens of task-oriented lessons and interactive training simulations is enough for me to grab a package of Chocolate Zingers ( a devilish favorite) and drop into a comfy lounge chair with a book and a Chai latte.

However, I have a variety of activities that I want to try and do before the the Corporate CEO of Life sends down the elevator to pick me up. All of the activities on my list require some small to extended health training. So it's to the gym I go.

I use a Personal Trainer from time to time to help me stay on the right track so I can do the activities I want to do. However, it’s not all about weights. Whether you want to train for a 10K, learn Tai Chi for stress reduction, or your like me and you just want to be able to do activities like surfing or trail hiking – a personal trainer can help you with personal goals.

I know some people find personal trainers annoying because they are always pushing you to buy vitamins and supplements and stop smoking and stop drinking stuff that is bad for you.

But the ugly truth is that vitamins and supplements are a modern day necessity.

If you don't have any kind of health problems, feel very lucky, but you still need vitamins and supplements. If you have any kind of medical aliment or your an alphabet soup of health problems... your crazy for not taking vitamins and supplements (in my opinion).

Once you tell your personal trainer all of your dirty little (junk) food and health secrets, s/he can recommend which vitamins and supplements are best for you.

Reasons to use a personal trainer:

Socializing instead of sweating - When you get distracted by a long conversation, you may not move as much or lift the weights as hard as you would otherwise. Personal trainers exist to make you question if Hell is more pleasant than your gym time.

Following the same old routine - You hit the gym on autopilot. Enough activity to keep your heart healthy but not gain any muscle or lose much more weight beyond a certain point.

Incorrectly using the equipment – Take it from someone with an alphabet soup of health problems... This is bad!

At one point I had actually considered becoming a Personal Trainer, than I decided I loved my chocolate Zingers, Chai Lattes, work free weekends and laziness way too much.

Businesses on the other hand are waking up to the fact that reshaping the fitness of their employees can shave off thousands of dollar pounds off their Worker's Compensation expenses.

In an effort to reduce the costs associated with Worker’s Compensation, many employers are now requiring pre-employment physicals. The law permits a medical examination if the medical evaluation is conducted after an offer of employment has been made. However, one blogger stated that after he took his pre-employment physical and started work the next day (clerical work) the pre employment physical results came back stating he needed to lose weight and he had six months to do so or he would be terminated.

Personal Trainer Careers May Be the Next Big Career Trend

At some point within the 2007 calendar year, congress may approve the Workplace Health Improvement Program - The Whip Act (insert joke here) would exempt a company's contributions for the costs of fitness center membership fees from an employee's income tax.

If the bill H.R.1634 passes, the career opportunities for personal trainers will greatly increase and produce a new search for professionals to fill the jobs and career openings. Not only at gyms, but in a variety of health and physical activity related businesses.

These could include: Click here to read the rest of the article