Education Station NewsOK.com Blogging Community

Last month a student at the new John Marshall School knocked on my door.

Did my husband or I want any candy? There’s a whole catalog of foods for us to choose from.

For more than a month now we’ve been waiting on our peanut butter cups and white chocolate covered pretzels.

Often it seems that’s the way of school fundraisers: it starts with a knock, a call or an e-mail; continues with a check; and ends in a wait for the product so long that by the time it arrives you’ve forgotten you ever ordered anything in the first place.

Do you appreciate the chance for home delivery of candy or wrapping paper and the opportunity to support your local school, or do you feel pestered being asked year after year to buy into the same thing?

Share your thoughts about school fundraisers on the forum at NewsOK.com.

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

I learned an ugly truth in second grade. From a teacher no less.

The tooth fairy may not be an actual wing-wearing, coin-toting magical creature after all. She might be nothing but a fairy-tale.

I was horrified, scandalized, and permanently immunized — against such childish flights of fancy.

Now I’m a parent, and I’m wondering if there’s ever a right time to shine the glaring light of reality onto a child’s eyes. At what age should you have that “talk” about imaginary heroes propagated by toy sellers and story books.

Maybe you never have that talk, and the innocent learn the hard truth from playmates or teachers. Yes, you wait. Because childhood fantasy is a precious gift and dreams don’t come gift-wrapped by elves.

Susan Simpson, Staff Writer

One day I’ll be telling my great-grandchildren that I once read books — printed on paper!

They’ll roll their eyes as I describe the unimaginable chore of hefting a hardback tome, the danger of paper cuts, the grief of knowing a tree gave its life for my selfish vice.

I’ll tell them about entire buildings filled with books, thousands upon thousands lining shelves, piled in corners, stuffed into dusty bins. It will seem a mausoleum to a man named Carnegie.

My great-grandchildren will have seen a real book before — in a museum perhaps, maybe a Bible that Presidents once held to take the oath of office. They’ll laugh at the absurdity at it all, an e-book reader after all is so much handier. If the elected official is Muslim, the device can instantly download a Quran.

And when I die my great-grandchildren will rummage through my attic, giggling at the sheer antiquity of the boxes of books kept and cherished over a lifetime.

The Velveteen Rabbit — with a fuzzy illustration worn smooth by small fingers. The Little Prince, dog-eared pages yellowed and crumbling. An entire set of World Book Encyclopedias, circa 1980.

What a waste, they’ll murmur. What a waste.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

This just in — Highly-educated University of Texas at Austin researchers have discovered that “College Students Drink More on Game Days!”

Their study found that students drank more on football game days than on Halloween or New Year’s Eve, other holidays with a reputation for inebriation.

Male students drank more for all games. Female students tended to chug-a-lug most during away games.

Said one study author: “Most events associated with heavy drinking occur only one a year, such as Spring Break, or once in a lifetime, such as a 21st birthday, but the weekly football schedule presents students with more regular opportunities to drink.”

The study is published in November’s issue of Addictive Behaviors.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

Most folks buy artwork for their home or office from boutique shops and arts festivals. But some pick out a piece over dinner and a glass of wine, choosing art right off a restaurant’s walls.

On Thursday, an Oklahoma City eatery will give fifth-graders the same chance as professionals to show off and sell their black-and-white photographs.

Pictures taken by 16 students from Cleveland Elementary in Oklahoma City will be exhibited at Tom & Jerry’s, a steak and fish grill at 1501 NW 23, from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Each student will get to display two pieces, for a total of 32 items, parent Nancy Woodard said. The subjects of the images vary, though the students were given some instructions — like to consider texture and motion, said Jeanne Davis, co-chairwoman of the school’s PTA yearbook committee.

Professional photographers Kay Wetmore and Michael Muller helped the students select and prepare their art for the dining-room gallery, said Davis, who helped organize the event.

All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go to the Cleveland photography program, which is in its first year, they said, and 10 percent of food sales from the evening also will benefit the school. 

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

Got a good idea? Think it could make you millions? No idea how to proceed?

The University of Oklahoma is hosting a free workshop Nov. 30 called “Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur?” The all-day seminar is open to teens, college students and professors. Business professionals and investors will share knowledge about how to build successful high-tech businesses in Oklahoma.

The workshop is free but registration is required. Go to www.okepscor.org.

The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and nonprofit group i2E.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

It’s been a few years (read: decades) since my 8th grade Oklahoma history class.

But I got a refresher course at www.occc.edu/centennial today. Oklahoma City Community College has a handy outline of the Oklahoma Centennial Lecture Series coordinated by the Downtown College Consortium. Free lectures were held at campuses around the metro this fall. The last one is set for next week.

Power point presentations are online for the lectures “Oklahoma and the Great Depression” and “Places We Cried.” The latter is a chronicle of the Cherokee people.

Both presentations have photos and maps that poignantly illustrate these times in state history. The final lecture, “Heroes of Oklahoma,” takes place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at OCCC. Call 232-3382 for details.

For those who can’t attend, check out the Web site, which also is a great source for teachers who’ll be talking about statehood next week.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education launched a new Web site called Doing What Works to showcase and share effective ideas for helping students learn.

The Education Department says the site is meant to turn research into practice - and spread good practices.

The site includes slideshows and videos of teachers using specific strategies in their classrooms.

Currently the site has content about teaching English Language Learners, but more topics are to come, including early childhood education, literacy, math and science, and school restructuring.

To visit the site for ideas, go to http://dww.ed.gov.

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

There’s a video on the Oklahoma City Public Schools Web site of students singing ”I’ve Been Everywhere in Oklahoma” for the state’s 100th birthday.

The Nichols Hills Elementary School students keep up well with the fast-paced tune of Johnny Cash’s drawn-out ditty.

But they’re certainly not the only ones with a centennial tribute in the works.

Tell me, what’s your child’s class planning? And, will it mean you have to use a vacation day to stay home while your child is off for a holiday? I’d like to know how working families work around that situation.

Write to me at wkleinman@oklahoman.com.

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

In case you missed it, last Friday marked the start of the holiday gift-buying season. It started early this year, experts said, so that retailers could reel consumers in before the economy slid even further.

These same experts say that people will buy fewer gifts this year. For some people, that might mean Great Aunt Mae doesn’t get a fruitcake this year — not that she wanted one anyway.

But there are a few people that are must-gets in my world. The hair stylist — she has scissor-wielding control of my self-esteem, and my daughters’ teachers, because I really appreciate the job they do.

Usually the teacher gifts are small gestures — a nice candle or a box of chocolates. But what do teachers really want?

Here’s what a story by the Associated Press suggests:

Avoid the No. 1 Teacher mugs and other gimmicky trinkets. The teacher already has many.

Most teachers love hand-made items, even a card handcrafted by your child.

You can’t go wrong with gift certificates, but keep the amount modest. Some districts have rules restricting the monetary amount of gifts.

Chip in with other parents and get a larger gift for the teacher.

I’m not sure what I’ll buy this year (no mugs!) but I usually try to find items that make the teacher feel a bit pampered, nice hand lotion for example.

The hair stylist is another story. She’ll probably get another bottle of wine. For drinking after the hair cut — if I like it.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer