Valerie Nelson's comments

Starting A Doggy DayCare - Blog Entry

09 Aug 2006 11:16 AM

I utilized a pet sitting service once and liked it better than sending my poochie to a kennel. She was able to stay at home and I think that was less stressful for her-and me too.

Foreign Language in Elementary School - Blog Entry

09 Aug 2006 11:14 AM

Valorie,

Thanks for your comments. Aren't children's minds wonderful? The speed at which they can learn makes me jealous! I only wish that I could still wrap my brain around a foreign language like little ones can.

Small High Schools - Blog Entry

08 Aug 2006 07:11 AM

Hi Valorie,

Thanks for clarifying your comments. When looking at schools as a whole such as I was for the purpose of this article, we cannot select one or two schools to determine the overall graduation rate. Utilizing averages is an acceptable scientific measure. Surely in my city there would be great dispaities between some of the schools graduation rates such as you noted.

Personally- I think a 50% graduation rate is atrocious. That means half of the students per class will not graduate, and in this country I find that dispicable.

Small High Schools - Blog Entry

07 Aug 2006 10:25 AM

Thank you so much for your feedback. The 50% graduation rate for urban schools is an accurate figure according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many other studies/reports that I have reviewed. Yes there will be differences based on geographic location and other factors. 50% is an average urban graduation rate. In the major city closest to me the rate is actually 48%. I don't know why you would deselect minority status to get a rate of 18%? Where do you get that rate? In my opinion, urban is urban regardless of minority status whendiscussing the graduation rate.

How are mandatory- free public schools able to select particular students? Do you mean based on where they live or is there a bigger story here?

Thanks again for your comments.

Mandated Parenting Education - Blog Entry

03 Aug 2006 04:54 PM

Thank you for your thoughtful comment imaginif!

Who Pays For College? - Blog Entry

03 Aug 2006 06:09 AM

Miriam,

Good point-"I had a lot of friends in the same situation. I think that we appreciate the education we got a little bit more because we had to sacrifice so much to get it." Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

5 Things to Know about "Mummy Tummy" or Diastasis Recti - Blog Entry

01 Aug 2006 04:07 PM

Great Article Valorie,

A friend of mine had told me about this, but I did not know there are excersizes to correct it.

Teacher Preparation - Blog Entry

29 Jul 2006 11:20 AM

Thanks for your comments Valorie and Kaye.

The average teacher salary in my state is $56,000. Yes there is a difference in someone with ten years of experience and new teachers out of college. I have read arguments that new teachers should be able to reach higher salary levels in a shorter amount of time in order to keep teachers in the profession longer. You are right Valorie-up to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within three years.

I think the compensation for teachers has rightfully been gradually increasing over the past five to ten years, but so are the demands and of course the higher level of required qualifications.

Teacher Merit Pay - Blog Entry

25 Jul 2006 07:36 AM

Kaye,

Thanks for your enthusiastic response. What measurement could be used, do you think, for teacher of special education students if they were to institute merit pay? I guess I could ask-how do you know when you are doing a good job with special needs kids? What goes on in the classroom on the days you go home and say-now that was a great day! Can that type of success be voiced to the administration in a way they would understand?

Getting to Know Me...A New Education Blogger's Introduction - Blog Entry

24 Jul 2006 05:56 AM

Dear Kaye,

Welcome! I look forward to reading your posts.