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Graduating students at Rhodes College in Tennessee are planning to make both social and fashion statements May 10 by wearing red Converse sneakers with their commencement gowns.

The custom started in 1998, when alumna Mickey Babcock challenged fellow graduates to “walk loud” to show their commitment to service, learning and leadership. 

What about footwear fashion ideas for Oklahoma’s college graduates this year?

Orange loafers would seem a good choice at Oklahoma State University, maybe constructed of the flexible body armor material that OSU researchers developed for soldiers in Iraq.

University of Oklahoma grads could wear crimson red waterproof galoshes since it’s not unusual for rain to join the ceremony held outdoors each spring. Patent leather would be a nice touch to reflect the progress of this campus in recent years.

Green-minded University of Central Oklahoma graduates would put the earth first this year, donning sandals made of renewable bamboo or recycled French fry grease.

What ideas do you have?

E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

A while back I came across a music video about education by Grammy Award-winning musician Tom Chapin.

The song is called “Not On The Test,” a topic I thought might be appropriate to address as Oklahoma students take state-mandated exams this month.

Here’s what the publicly schooled Chapin has to say in a statement about his song:

“Music, art, drama and sports — these are what kept me involved when I was in school. And these very things that make a teacher’s (and student’s) job easier and more rewarding are what’s been cut from curriculums across the country.

“Now we are teaching by rote again — where the test, and only the test, becomes the reason to teach and study.”

Do you agree? Take a listen to Chapin’s song at www.NotOnTheTest.com and share your feedback here on the Education Station blog at http://blog.newsok.com/educationstation.

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter