On October 3rd, Baruch College held their annual Club Fair. The fair gave incoming freshman and returning Baruch students a chance to check out all the Student Clubs available at Baruch. At the same time, it brought students together and was an enjoyable event.
College students not checking their emails regularly have been a problem that Professors have noticed. These students believe E-mailing is too slow and would much rather receive notifications through a faster medium. Social media is the preferred way for students to receive any notification because of how fast they can see them and reply back. Professors don’t want to add students on social media because of the consequences it might bring. Thomas Tierney, an associate professor of sociology at the College of Wooster in Ohio, said, “I don’t want to learn things about them I can’t unlearn.” Social media isn’t the preferred method to inform students of college news and updates.
E-mails with class updates and assignment changes hurt students who don’t check their emails regularly. Although students prefer social media, it’s not the most professional way to interact with Professors. As hard as it is to regularly check E-mails, students must make it a habit to check E-mails everyday before class starts. It’s the best way to stay up to date with the class program and not fall behind. Professors emphasize the habit to read their E-mails on the class syllabus to make sure students know that’s how they will be communicating. Although it’s not the way students want it, E-mail updates are the best way to stay on top of their college courses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/fashion/technology-and-the-college-generation.html
New York City public schools have implemented new disciplinary procedures regarding suspensions. It prohibits public school students to be halted from their education for committing one-time, low-level infractions. The goal of this is to reduce punishments that take away from the student’s education. Marge Feinberg, a department spokeswoman, argues that disorderly conduct should be attended to before it gets to a higher level. The new code addresses students from kindergarten to third grade by lowering the maximum days of suspension from 10 to 5 days. Future misconduct by a student can be avoided by addressing their problems earlier. Instead of suspensions, students may still be punished in other ways, for example, being kept away from extracurricular activities or sent to the principal’s office. Longer suspension lengths are still put forward for extreme behaviors such as bullying, violent fights, or starting fires.
Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, expresses the message that students belong in a classroom. This corrective change in the disciplinary system would proceed with the main goal of having students in a learning environment with teachers disciplining students with positive educational approaches. To aid with this new system, teachers should attend training sessions where they can receive more support on how to help students. Rather than taking them out of the classroom in an attempt to discipline them, they should fix the problem within the classroom where the issue started.
The course of actions taken here by NYC public schools will prove to be favorable in the development of students. By keeping students in the classroom, they are given an opportunity to be corrected rather than abandoned. Actions taken to improve the disciplinary system display New York City’s attempt to further develop the educational system.
While many girls in the United States have the right to receive an education, girls in third world countries such as Afghanistan are threaten and murdered if they chose to go to school. In the article, “Girls Who Risk Their Lives for Education” by Gordon Brown from the New York Times, girls put their lives on the line by attending school. Bombings and shootings occur often in all girls schools, however these girls are standing up for their rights and unafraid of the Taliban’s threats. As Kaint Riaz, one of the girls shot on a school bus last October says the Taliban, “can’t stop us from going to school. I want to study. I am not afraid”(Brown 1). This issue has caught attentions of many other countries. Recently the United Nations has discussed legislatures and reforms to help these girl get an education. It’s still surprising to learn that many countries in Asia and Africa haven’t granted certain women’s rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/opinion/global/girls-who-risk-their-lives-for-education.html
The article “Schooling Ourselves in an Unequal America” by Rebecca Strauss, compares America’s educational system to other developed countries’ educational systems. Considered once the leading system in the world, American’s educational system is now on a decline. As the gap between the rich and poor is increasing, the gap between the education they’re receiving is as well. The wealthier Americans are receiving a far better education than the middle class and poor. Due to the fact, America is spending more money on the wealthier students, while other countries are favoring the middle class students and poorer students instead. Hence, American college dropout rates are higher, when compared to other countries’ dropout rates. At the same time, preschool enrollment rates for other countries are higher than America’s preschool enrollment rates. Money is the major reason many poor students to drop out of college, as they aren’t ready for higher education. In the end, they rather work and earn money to support their families, than to invest in an education.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/schooling-ourselves-in-an-unequal-america/
