Education Assistant » People

Is Bilingual Education in the United States As Bad As They Say it Is?

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:26:41 +0000

I read a blog post the other day which was in essence complaining about the state of bilingual education that currently exists in the United States. The article suggested that bilingual education is going from bad to worse. For example, many school districts are dropping their foreign language programs altogether. The argument was that a loss of these programs is leading to a monolingual society.

Well, this is probably the case, but I don’t think the problem is as grave as this author wanted his readers to believe.

I do agree that our foreign language education still has a long way to go, but when compared to other countries, I would say that we’re about in the same situation.

In the travels I have made to other countries around the world, I have noticed that foreign language education is not much than it is here. One of the biggest faults of this instruction in other countries is that it is mostly limited to English instruction. At least here in the United States there is usually a choice of foreign languages to choose from. In my high school, for example, we could choose Spanish, German, French, or even Chinese. I have never seen that kind of choice in schools in other countries. Students are forced (or at least strongly encouraged) to study English.

One of the positive aspects of foreign language education in other countries is that they usually include more than one or two years of study. However, even after that, most students’ language skills in English are probably on par with foreign language skills of students here after a couple of years studying.

The one exception to this are many of the countries in Europe. But I believe that the main reason that foreign language education in Europe is fairly good is because non- native languages aren’t necessarily foreign. Each surrounding country speaks a different language, and that close proximity helps develop the foreign language skills of the people.

So the next time someone you know starts complaining about the state of affairs in foreign language education in the United States, remember that while it can always be better, it’s not as bad as it could be.

By: Clint Tustison

Why Should We Continue Education?

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:05:34 +0000

Education is one the important thing that people should have in their life. But unfortunately not all the people can finish their education while there are attend the schools or college. But in this time most of the people with a good education are very lucky in their life because they can have a better life than others. Here is some reason why we should continue for education.

1. There are lots of people who have not been able to finish their degree or graduation. This is the first reason why some of people want to continue their education. They are a lot of problem that not allowed them to finish their education. Maybe while there are in the schools or college they can not continue their education because they have not enough money to finish their education, etc.

2. It enriches your standard of living. By a good education we can have a big chance to get a good job with a good salary. Or we can work in a comfort environment job and avoid a stress.

3. It ensures people to compete with others in a better way in this competitive society. Most people with a good education have a better attitude while there are competed each other. Their will use their knowledge and skill to reach their dream and still focus to their target.

4. Continuing education helps you get a better qualification. It’s make you become a professional in your job. Why? Because you has learn and enriches your skill by continue your education. The more specific the subject you learn, you become most qualified in that subject than others.

By: Rahmat Dermawan Gulo

Effective Sat And Gmat Test Preparation

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:17:28 +0000

Test preparation schools offer many different options for people who are studying to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test or Graduate Management Admission Test. Some people prefer to do their SAT preparation in a traditional classroom with planned lessons and practice tests. Other people prefer GMAT test preparation programs on the Internet, which provide the opportunity to go over course materials and take timed practice tests as many times as you want at any time you want. However you decide to prepare for these challenging and daunting tests, it is important to start early and get as much studying in as you can before test day. It is a good idea to sign up for your test before signing up for one of the programs at test preparation schools. This will set a deadline or end goal for your GMAT or SAT preparation that you can take small steps toward. And once you have reviewed the materials and started taking practice tests, you can determine what your weak spots are and set goals for improvement in those areas over time. The key to effective SAT or GMAT test preparation is consistency over an extended period, which means setting aside time for studying every day, or as close to every day as possible, with periodic days off to relax the mind. If you can continue biting off one chunk of studying at a time until you can get most of the practice questions right without making careless mistakes or running out of time, then you should be ready to make it to test day and score high. If you try to cram all the information, however, you run the risk of making foolish errors on test day. Whether you’re taking the SAT or the GMAT, your acceptance into the schools of your choice will depend on this score. So anything you can do to prepare and score higher will help to make your goals for the future a reality.

Education IS a Privilege

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:01:17 +0000

Over ten years ago, I worked in a private school in Nairobi, Kenya. People who haven’t had a chance to travel often have a skewed vision of Africa. I had certain expectations when I got there but I soon realized that I had been misled by things I had seen on TV about all the different aspects of that amazing continent. In any case, the one thing I can say about my experience there, it that I met the most interesting, most motivated and mature students of my entire carrier. These children, from a very young age, were simply grateful for their education.

A few years ago, I met another teacher who had taught on the other side of Africa, in Ghana, but not in a private school like me, but in a little village school lost in the bush somewhere. One might find this strange but she, also, met the most interesting, most motivated and mature children there.

These children, both the ones I met in Kenya and the ones she met in Ghana could hardly have been any more different. Most of my students’ future was pretty much traced already, with their parents’ business to take over, no doubt of a college education and a promised life of comfort. My friend’s Ghanaian students had none of that but loved school and would have done anything to be there.

In a conversation with a very good Ghanaian friend of mine more recently, we both agreed that in both cases, and in Africa in general, people see education as a privilege, so they make the most of it. She, too, grew up in Africa and came from a better off family than the average African, but she never took education for granted. Over there, and in many other countries in the world, it is never a guarantee, when a child is born, that he/she will be going to school. So when you do, you appreciate it.

It is true that the image that we tend to have of Africa is the less developed side of the continent. We see the way people live in the mud huts and overcrowded vehicles and wild animals surrounding villages in the middle of nowhere. We see also kids living in the streets of big cities having to resort to anything they can to survive. These kids would give anything to go to school. But what are the chances?

I read an article a couple of days ago about two afghan sisters who were walking to school one day and got attacked by men who threw acid at them. They were teenagers, going to school. The men didn’t want women to have an education. These girls are more determined than ever to go to school.

Not so long ago in the United States of America, some people were not given the same access to the same education because of the color of their skin. Up until fairly recently, women also didn’t receive the same level of education in many countries.

There are still many nations with totalitarian regimes who do not allow certain books, information and facts to be taught because of their political, religious or social beliefs.

In this country, some parents have to force their kids to go to school. Kids run away, pretend to go to school when they get dropped off and disappear for the day. You hear teenagers tell you that school is boring. A good friend of mine often used to say: “Only boring people get bored”…

In this country, education is served to you on a plate. Of course, there is always room for constructive criticism and improvement. You can always say that it is not as good as it should/could be. But it’s there! Kids don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and walk two hours there and back to go to school. Access is given to all sorts of books, movies, scriptures and debates. Philosophers are studied, even if sometimes they question and disturb. Knowledge is passed on, on a daily basis, it is there for you to receive if you want it.

The United States remains a symbol of Freedom. Many countries in the Western World can pride themselves with Freedom. You hear people in the US claiming their right to Freedom. “This is a free country! I can do this!” Freedom is a privilege, everybody knows that and everybody likes to remind others of it and proudly claims the fact that they belong to a country where Freedom is the basis of life.

Education is the same. It is just as much of a privilege as Freedom. In fact, it is part of it. And yet so many people, especially the ones receiving it, don’t seem to see the value of it. Nobody questions the fact that Freedom is there and is a given. It SHOULD be there. And yet, education is the same. It is there for everybody. The fact that it is given to you doesn’t make it any less valuable. Freedom is given to you too. It came at a price though. So did education. It wasn’t always like that.

Education IS a privilege. Just as Freedom is. Education is what keeps people free. Education is what allows people to think and question and criticize and improve the world. You might think that changes are needed in education now, and I agree with you. There is always room for improvement, so there will always be a need to look at ways to do things better. There are different ways to be educated and sometimes, what you need doesn’t come from High School the way it is now. But whatever form of education you get is useful, if you are prepared to receive it.

Don’t take it any more for granted than you would take Freedom for granted. Make sure your kids know that and realize how grateful they can be to be going to school every day. They get the chance to develop a thinking mind. If you think school is not good enough, then propose your solutions, but don’t undermine it. Receive it as the gift and privilege it actually is.

By: Florence Bernard

Do Employers View Private College Education As Equivalent To Community College Education?

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:55:44 +0000

Choosing where to go for post secondary education has gotten harder in the last few years. Even though there are more choices and options available, there are also more people going to college and entering the workforce. Future graduates have always had to think about a college’s location, price, curriculum and reputation, and nowadays they also have to think about what their school will look like on their resume.

A lot of students have the bad habit of changing their minds about what career they would like to have, and unfortunately, this comes with changing majors. Some changes are small, but there are students that completely change direction and have to alter their course load, and this would be more difficult at a private college. Private colleges are much more expensive, and it would cost a student an awful lot of money to change his or her mind!

These days, a student has to make extra sure that they know exactly what they want to do for a living before they decide what kind of school to go to. This way, they will know which school will look the best on their resume. Whether or not an employer will care about which type of college an applicant lists on their resume all depends what career choice someone makes. Some employers barely look at the education part of a resume, caring more about skill and experience, while others scrutinize the education section.

If you are looking to make a career out of a job that is more skill based, it would probably be a better idea to choose a good community college. These types of colleges tend to offer much more hands on experience and learning than private colleges. Employers will be more likely to hire a student right out of college if they have had this type of learning. If your goal is to make a career out of a job that is more knowledge based, a private college may be a good choice. These fields can be more competitive, and employers are more likely to look at the education part of your resume.

There is a middle ground between the two career types discussed above, and for this broad span of career choices, students need not worry about which school to choose. These employers will probably mostly care about the fact that you have the education and experience for the job and will not be concerned about whether you went to a community college or a private college.

If you fall into that “middle ground”, you can feel free to make your choice based on what the school offers you, as opposed to choosing between community and private. If you have the money to spend, a private college might be a good choice, and if a community college has just what you are looking for, then it would be just as good a choice for you.

By: Amy Nutt