Education

Dear Sir, Education is the bedrock of societal development.No society can attain meaninful development without sound education.The best legacy any government can provide to its citizens lies strictly on sound education. Education is considered to be the life-line of development. Sir, kindly allow me to air out my views on the comatose state of education in Jos north L.G.A. and the state at large.But before then, I can vividly recall when we were queuing in the scorching sun with our Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) just to vote for the change tagged "THE PLATEAU RESCUE TEAM," because change was all we desperately needed. However, with the dawn of the APC government, I do hope government will look at the key issues raised in this open letter with a visionary eye, as regards to...
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On May 6th, President Obama sent an email that told the story of his favorite teacher. He wrote, “I credit my education to Ms. Mabel Hefty just as much as I would any institution of higher learning. When I entered Ms. Hefty’s fifth-grade class at Punahou School in the fall of 1971, I was just a kid with a funny name in a new school, feeling a little out of place, hoping to fit in like anyone else. The first time she called on me, I wished she hadn’t. In fact, I wished I were just about anywhere else but at that desk, in that room of children staring at me. But over the course of that year, Ms. Hefty taught me that I had something to say — not in spite of my differences, but because of them. She made every single student in that class feel special. And she reinforced that...
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Mr. Obama, As have many Americans in the past few days, I have heard about the case of Ahmed Mohamed. Like you, I applaud his genius. However, I am concerned. I have tried to train myself for years to imagine things from various perspectives in different situations. I am sure you need to do this on a daily basis with your job. For a moment, try to imagine the following scenario. Imagine that you are a teacher. You are working in an elementary school educating the future of our society (aka: our children). As a teacher, you are responsible for not only teaching these students Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Music, Art, and other curriculum, but in listening to them, consoling them, helping them, and, while they are at school, you are responsible for...
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To all the excited and hopeful Chinese high school students who want to study abroad, we want to warn you and keep you safe and far away from the many unlicensed agents who want to exploit and cheat you in so many ways. Please do not be so quick to believe what you are told, simply because the company/agency is big and famous. 80% of the China-based agents will only tell you what they want you to know. For example, they will not tell you about scholarships, student loans, nor anyway how to reduce your tuition and total costs because they earn commissions based upon the amount of moneys you pay. They collect commissions from the universities as well as from you. They also will not tell you about 2+2 programs abroad or corporate sponsorship programs. The safest way to find a...
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Dear Native college student, As a new academic year approaches, I want to share some words from my heart. Know that these words are not just from me; they are shared experiences and stories that I've learned from family, college classmates, mentors, teachers, and Native college students like yourself. I hope this letter serves as a source of inspiration as you journey towards attaining a college degree. Like many of you, I knew college was in my pathway. When I was eight years old, I told my mom that I was going to college. And in May of 2015, I fulfilled that dream and graduated with a doctorate in higher education from the University of Arizona. There are not many Native peoples on the college journey. Nationally, 1 percent of Natives receive a college degree each year. Some...
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Dear Fareed, I am a big fan of yours. I routinely watch your GPS Show on CNN and read your articles on international affairs with great interest. However, I am deeply disappointed by your recent column titled "Why America's obsession with STEM education is dangerous" in the Washington Post. Your column is simply misguided, and a plain insult to scientists, engineers and educators. You are an influential journalist and I am worried that you have done a disservice to the scientific community of America. You stated: America's last bipartisan cause is this: A liberal education is irrelevant, and technical training is the new path forward. It is the only way, we are told, to ensure that Americans survive in an age defined by technology and shaped by global competition. There is not a...
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Dear Secretary Napolitano, I am writing to you in the hopes that when you assume the presidency of the University of California you will make it a priority to address what I see as the most important crisis facing not only the UC system, but also the state of California. I call this problem the "Culture of Mediocrity." Let me explain. While a graduate student at the University of California Santa Barbara over the previous three years I've graded roughly 500 midterms, 500 finals, and about 750 undergraduate student papers. Generally, I was told the median grade should be a "B-", although several professors I worked for did not have a curve and encouraged an average grade of a "B" or higher. At the end of each quarter, professors have the obligation to review the teaching assistants...
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Dear Secretary Duncan, I recently watched some footage from a senate committee debate related to a possible dyslexia amendment to The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. Frankly, I was nothing short of stunned by your lack of understanding of the policies and approaches to dyslexia in our public schools. Apparently, I incorrectly assumed that, as the Secretary of Education, you would have a basic working knowledge of a learning disability that impacts up to 20 percent of our population. This is clearly not a fringe condition, and yet you demonstrated minimal interest or knowledge related to what is being done to address it in our schools. Perhaps I can enlighten you: practically nothing is happening to address dyslexia...
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To the Class of 2014, This is it. One month 'til May and, odds are, you're feeling numb and nauseated. The walls are closing in, all rugs have been pulled out and you're compulsively spell-checking your resumé (while simultaneously Snapchatting, putting off that 10-page paper and planning your next pregame). In six or so weeks you'll be saying goodbye -- to friends, to family, to weeknight whiskey specials -- because an Irish Exit isn't in the cards anymore. Not for four years of college. You're scared (see also: restless, sleep-deprived, and a slave to happy hour), and that's okay. Trust your convictions. Go out on a Tuesday, even though it's raining and you know the bar's full of freshmen. Have one, or 10, too many people over (your neighbors won't hold that title much longer)...
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To Whom it may concern, I am an Educational Assistant. I work primarily with children with special needs. Do I enjoy my work? Yes. I love it. Do I enjoy my work enough to justify continuing to do it while my hours get cut so I can no longer make ends meet? No. Not really. I love my house and family more. I have been an EA for a number of years. I thought I had paid my dues when, Last year, I had finally moved from a Part-Time position to Full-Time; Finally, Some financial and Job security!! This lasted exactly one year before the Government's cuts took that away from me. Perhaps They don't understand what our job entails. This is not to minimize the role of any other school employees. We are a team. We work together for the children. In my time as an EA, I have had...
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