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Teacher discounts, memory, charters, nootropics

Education Roundup

There is a great website called Brad’s Deals that has compiled a list of the 90 or so major retailers that offer teacher discounts. The list includes bookstores, retail, school supply stores as well as thousands of online coupons and printable coupons that teachers can use as well. You might consider printing it out and handing it to your teacher today. Go to bradsdeals.com/blog/teacher-discounts/.

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California has both the largest number of charters schools in the country and the highest percentage of charter-educated students; 109 charters opened during the 2012-13 school year bringing California’s total to 1,065. Los Angeles saw the biggest growth in charters this year but the county with the second biggest growth was Sonoma County, where 12 new charters began operating. The Roseland Charter Schools in Santa Rosa are the ones I hear the most buzz about. Charters have been around in California for 20 years but each one is completely different from the next. Charters are publicly-funded, independent schools, established by teachers, parents or community members. The Valley has two such schools – Sonoma Charter School and Woodland Star.

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So what is this idea of project-based learning that everyone is talking about? The Buck Institute for Education hired a cool ad agency, Common Craft, to create a short animated video that explains the concept in clear language. You can watch it at: edudemic.com/2012/10/what-is-project-based-learning/

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Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market are now offering a free Community Card. Once you sign up for one and then show it each time you shop, your purchases create automatic contributions that go to your favorite school or nonprofit. You can earn up to 5 percent of your purchase amount when you show your card at check out. You access records of your spending and contribution at escrip.com. Safeway offers a similar program.

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I am always concerned that my memory is terrible compared to my peers. I am halfway through a new book by Joshua Foer called “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.” It is a fascinating look at the tricks used by memory contest competitors with specifics tips for everyday use by your average person. I haven’t gotten the hang of the system these pros swear by, but I am intrigued by the science behind it and it is a well-written and entertaining read.

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The Mentoring Alliance hosted its annual Mentor Forum in October. Whole Foods donated breakfast, and I gather that the presenters entertained and inspired the 75 mentors in attendance. Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John, the co-founders of Challenge Day and a movement called “Be the Change,” addressed the issues facing today’s kids – cliques, negative judgments, harassment, isolation, stereotypes, racism, sexism, bullying, violence and hopelessness. As always, lots of children are still waiting to be matched with a caring adult. sonomamentoring.org

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Woodland Star is in the initial stages of starting a mentoring program. The mentor committee is currently seeking candidates able to share their time and experience with young people who could benefit from both. If you have any neighbors, friends or family who may have interest in mentoring, contact Annie Cassidy at 996-6904 for more information.

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AFS (originally American Field Service) Intercultural Program is holding a presentation in the Little Theatre at Sonoma Valley High beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, on the value of studying abroad, and options for hosting foreign students. For more information, contact Marika Strauss at mstrauss@afs.org.

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In its first year of operation, Credo High School’s academic performance index (API) score was 822, the third highest of the 26 high schools in Sonoma County. Credo offers rigorous college-prep academic curriculum but with an emphasis on the arts, music, movement, theater, social responsibility and sustainability. This Waldorf-based high school is in Rohnert Park and was founded by a number of people from Sonoma. The API is a measurement of the academic performance and progress of individual schools in California. API scores range from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. Credo is offerings tours, shadow appointments and Open Houses this fall for 2013-14 enrollment.

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Nootropic is a word I just learned and I think you’ll start to hear it in the news if you haven’t already.  It refers to any chemical or group of chemicals that improves cognitive powers.  These “smart pills” include ADD medicines Ritalin, Aderall and commercial drinks like NeuroFuel. Most are stimulants of one kind or another. College students, in particular, are finding misuse of these pills alluring. The long-term effects of non-prescribed stimulant use are not known but are thought to include long-term memory loss and reduced creativity. Author Dr. Leonard Sax (leonardsax.com) is really vocal on the potential dangers of the stimulants contained in ADD medications. The most commonly used nootropic, however, is caffeine, which improves attention and manual dexterity.

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KidPower is offering a workshop here in Sonoma on Saturday, Nov. 10, that directly addresses bullying, and includes defining and enforcing boundaries and making age appropriate safety plans. Organizer Kate Molesworth says that they are focusing on bullying because even in our little town, it happens. The class gives kids tools to avoid, if possible, or to deal with a bully in a safe and effective way. This particular workshop focuses on ages 9 to 13 years and it’s open to all Valley students. Contact Kate at katemolesworth@yahoo.com or 480-1805.

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Science Daily recently reported on a study by sociologists from Rice University and Brigham Young University that found that religiously-affiliated youth are 40 percent more likely to graduate high school than unaffiliated peers and 70 percent more likely to enroll in college. The tracking of 8,379 teens across the country found that Catholic and Protestant teens are twice as likely as unaffiliated teens to finish high school and about 80 percent more likely to enroll in college, and that Jewish and Mormon youths have the highest odds of graduating high school and enrolling in college. BYU was a co-author of the study so you can take it with a grain of salt, but it inspires an interesting conversation along the lines of, if this is true, why is it true? Church is free so it is one of the few education conversations you can have and take socio-economic status out of the equation.

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I heard a good suggestion lately for dyslexic students that might be helpful for all students in the younger grades. When using a computer, show them how you can adjust the brightness of the screen. For some dyslexic students, making the screen half of the full strength brightness makes reading much easier. Font size can also make a big difference for all struggling readers: try a font size 36 instead of the default size of 12.