Education

9/8/2020 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Decluttering Summer and Getting Ready for Fall

For many of us, autumn is a beloved season. There’s just something about the crisp air, sweet smell of decaying leaves, and overabundance of corn mazes that warms our hearts. And the transition into autumn is the perfect time to clean and organize our homes. After all, who wants to settle into sweater weather in a cluttered home? There’s a world of difference between cozy and crowded. It may sound strange (since there’s quite a bit of work involved in the process), but decluttering is actually a form of self-care — and it’s a great one to engage in during times of transition. Cleaning and organizing the house almost seems purifying in a weird sort of way, and it puts your brain in the right place to handle the hustle and bustle of the … [Read more...]

3/1/2018 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Going to School with a Full-Time Job or Career

When 18-year-olds are pushed into higher education before really knowing who they are, it creates an unfortunate chance that they’ll spend a lot of time and money earning a degree in something they don’t care about, aren’t very good at, or just don’t see themselves focusing on for the rest of their lives. Going back to school becomes a desire for many working adults who already have degrees. Similarly, there are working adults who weren’t able to go to college when they graduated high school or turned the chance down because they didn’t know what they wanted to study. However, they have full-time jobs now, and though they want to go to school, their time and resources are a bit scarce. This article is for those two groups of people. … [Read more...]

2/26/2018 By Jenn Mullin Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Schools in the Grips of a Drug Crisis

“Sin City” didn’t get its name by being chaste. Las Vegas, Nevada, has been a mecca for those wanting to experience life on the wild-side for decades. Unfortunately, this has also opened the door to a massive push of illegal and prescription drugs within city limits—often targeting high school students and young adults. According to a National Geographic investigation of the city, Las Vegas claims a violent crime rate that’s roughly 120% higher than the national average. This has been largely attributed to drug sales and the securing of the Mexican black tar heroin market. Drugs are sold in a way that mimics a basic retail transaction, and the casual attitude towards illegal substances has created a huge and ever-growing number of … [Read more...]

1/24/2018 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Why the Skills Gap is a Knowledge Gap

Nearly a decade ago, in October 2009, when the recession and unemployment was at its absolute worst, unemployment peaked at 10 percent. All the while the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that there were 2.1 million available jobs. What happened after that was unsurprising, but unfortunate all the same. Both sides of the political aisle saw a chance to make a political statement. The Republicans called out the unemployed for being lazy, while the Democrats claimed that the greed of corporate America was to blame — if they would only pay what they should. The focus was not the fact that those jobs existed; instead, the focus was on the debate. Why the Shift to College Education? High school graduates have attended college at far … [Read more...]

1/9/2018 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

The Latest Educational Approaches to Autism

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can develop skills at a different rate, and they may acquire them in a different order than their peers. This is because the disorder affects the way we interpret and communicate information. A learner with ASD may not be responsive, even when called by name, and they may not use eye contact and appropriate gestures when speaking. They may have difficulty focusing, staying attentive, organizing information, making inferences, and maintaining emotional control. These challenges can create severe barriers in a child’s educational journey — but they don’t have to. As a teacher — and especially as a person of faith — you have an obligation to help learners reach their full potential. There have … [Read more...]

6/20/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

At the Intersection of Faith and Education

Where do faith and education intersect? It’s been a topic of heated debate in the United States for, oh, the last 200 years or so, since public education got its start in the US. Faith is integral to how many people experience personal growth and development, but as the U.S. becomes more religiously diverse — with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others — the issues of religion and educational institutions have begun to spur a deeper level of confusion than ever before. Even though conversations about policy can be brutal, at the end of the day, access to college is something we should all be thankful for. As players in this drama, it’s important to understand the history. Let’s start at the beginning of the North … [Read more...]

1/30/2017 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Simple Ways to Improve Your Fitness in College

Keeping fit in college can often seem far too time-consuming, with other pressing issues such as submitting assignments on time, getting good grades, and keeping on top of revision taking precedence. When you have work mounting up quickly as lots of college students do, finding the time to work out at the gym daily can often be difficult, especially if by the time you’ve finished everything that you have to do, it’s late or you’re really tired. Thankfully, there are many small, simple changes that you can make to your routine that will help you to see significant results. Take Short Breaks With online programs such as the masters in social work online from Rutgers Online growing in popularity, more and more students are spending their day … [Read more...]

1/10/2017 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Why More Students Are Taking Online Courses

If you're thinking about going back to college or university, it's worth considering enrolling in an online course. The way people learn and obtain new qualifications has changed significantly in the last couple of years. As a wide range of technologies have improved, more colleges and universities have decided to offer online versions of many of their most popular courses. This is good news for students for the following reasons. You Get a High-quality Recognized Qualification In the early days of the internet, some fly-by-night operators offered online courses, but they were often of little value to the student and were not recognized by most employers. This situation has changed because most of the leading colleges and universities … [Read more...]

10/8/2015 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jeffco, Arvada Conservatives: Prepare to Vote

Off-year elections can get easily overlooked. But this year, if you live in Jefferson County and especially Arvada, your involvement as an informed conservative voter is more important than ever. Please check out and share this sample ballot. Thanks to others for creating the ballot, but I share their recommendations wholeheartedly. First, for the Board of Education, it comes down to three simple items to remember to vote for: NO, NO, and NO on the union-backed, fact-challenged recall: If you need more information to understand why, check out Jeffco Students First and Kids Are First Jeffco Kim Johnson, District 3 Tori Merritts, District 4 For the first time in my memory, the local Arvada City Council races feature a full slate of … [Read more...]

1/26/2015 By Ben Leave a Comment

Supreme Court Ruling Could Make Colorado a School Choice Destination

Anticipation is building among school choice supporters for a Colorado court ruling that could create wide and deep ripples in the fabric of American K-12 education. On Dec. 10, 2014, the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Taxpayers v. Douglas County Board of Education. The case’s third and decisive round of legal hearings will test whether an unprecedented local school choice program not only will survive, but also could multiply. The ruling could embolden other local Colorado boards of education to offer parents educational options outside the public system, and inspire policymakers hoping to expand choice in other states. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Arena…. … [Read more...]