High Stakes Testing

My students are currently taking their first round of high stakes testing today. In this no child left behind environment that I teach in, we unfortunately do find ourselves focusing more on the test and less on letting the students enjoy the curriculum. The Florida Competency Achievement Test, or FCAT is not a particularly challenging state exam. The questions and responses can sometimes seem ambiguous, but for the most part it is a fair exam.

On of the great things about teaching in Florida, however, is that there currently is no Social Studies examination. I therefore have the freedom to teach my content in any way that I desire. Recently, however, I have been pressured by the county administration to give up some of my units so that I can help supplement the FCAT testing. I realize that any additional practice will be beneficial for my students, but I find that when we do prep for the test, the interest level in my class plummets. Suddenly every student needs to go to the bathroom or has a question on a current event. Even the eyes of my scholar students glaze over when I talk about "author's purpose" or "extended responses."

Overall, I do not believe that these tests should be done away with, as my of my fellow colleagues have expressed. I do not think that they should be used to the degree that they currently are for determining the pathways that a student may take in school. Assigning students into pre-defined tracks according to test scores does not produce positive results, and something should be done to remedy this practice.

Are marathons harmful?

This weekend I completed the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Florida. It was a well organized and fun race. The Disney characters lined the course cheering on runners in the areas where other spectators could not go. There was plenty to see as we ran through all four theme parks, which helped keep my mind off how badly my body felt.

This was the third marathon that I have completed in the last 10 months. When I began training for my first marathon about a year ago, I wondered how my body would respond to the stress long distance running can place on the body. I heard horror stories about fifty year old marathon runners who could barely walk. I also read news paper headlines describing the tragic deaths of prominent runners in London, Chicago and New York this year.

I have been apprehensive about what, if any, damage I am doing to my joints as I have trained for and run these marathons. In all three races, as I approached mile 21 I experienced pain unlike any that I have ever felt. It is a pain that is hard to describe, as it seemed to encompass my whole body. Each step becomes harder than the next and the voice in the back of my mind telling me to stop grew louder. At the same time, I watched sixty and seventy year old men pass me by. As a 25 year old who is in decent shape, it was disheartening to see people who did not appear to be athletic pass me by.

I still do not have evidence that marathons are either harmful or beneficial. My body is still sore from the last race, but overall I feel strong. The pain that I experienced during the race is mostly forgotten and I am once again contemplating running another race. I believe that wearing the right equipment, eating a balanced diet and participating in proper training will lead to the successful completion of a marathon.

Jury Duty

I am currently waiting to perform the patriotic obligation known as Jury Duty. Every year, millions of people throughout the country are summoned to court rooms. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution provides the right to a "speedy and public trial" that is presided over by an "impartial jury." This right that is enjoyed by all Americans also becomes an obligation that is dreaded by these same people.

As I wait for my number to be called, I have heard the grumblings around me and I unfortunately have also uttered them myself. It seems that we all have something more important to do and other obligations to fulfill. As an educator, I had to make lesson plans and re-arrange the schedule of my students. We are less than a month away from our increasingly important FCAT state exams. This time out of the classroom means at least one less day of preparation for the exam.

Of course, how can I explain to the person on trial in the court room that the FCAT is more important than their case. As a juror, I will have the responsibility of potentially sending someone to or saving them from prison. If it is a civil case then there is the chance of awarding or declining life changing sums of money from a person.

I would like the chance of sitting on a Jury and I do believe that I possess qualities that will allow me to listen to a court case and make a rational decision. On the other hand, it would be great to be dismissed and have the rest of the day off. I will know in the next few hours what my fate will be.

Are Marathons Healthy

Around nine months ago I wrote a post questioning whether or not Marathons are healthy. I wrote the post a few days after I had completed the ING Georgia Marathon. In the half a year since that has passed I have trained for and ran the New York City Marathon and I am currently a few weeks away from running in the Disney Marathon.

The good news for anyone interested in running a Marathon is that I am still running with no real problems. I have reduced my mile pace by close to a minute and I have also lost close to fifteen pounds. I have been taking a vitamin supplement as well as glucosamine. I still can feel an old hip injury during the first couple of miles but otherwise I have not noticed any changes in my body.

The scary news is that during the past few months there have been multiple cases of sudden death during marathons. Chad Schieber collapsed during the Chicago Marathon this summer. His death has been attributed to a pre-existing heart condition. In April, 22 year old David Rogers collapsed after completing the London Marathon. His death has been attributed to hyponatraemia. Finally, there was the highly publicized death of Ryan Shay, the elite runner who perished while attempting to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. His death has also been linked to a pre-existing heart condition.

It should be noted that these young men who died while running made up a very small percentage of those who ran in Marathons and finished without a problem. Most of these men had pre-existing conditions and the stress of the marathon was too much for their bodies to take. These unfortunate events highlight the need to get a proper medical exam before attempting to run long distances. Marathons place a enormous amount of stress on the human body and you need to be sure that you are not putting yourself in danger.

Can the interenet be used to make money?

I apologize to the few people who actually read this blog on occasion, as I have not done much to keep your interest levels up. The past month has been quite turbulent as far as my work and social life goes, plus the weeks before Christmas break are always crazy at school. This is of course not a good excuse since I actually still have been doing some writing.

Some of you may remember Don Lapre, the "nutritionist" who enthusiastically told late night television viewers how he made "millions of dollars from his one-bedroom apartment by placing tiny ads in newspapers around the country." Well, my scheme does not really sink to that level of desperation but it is not much better.

If you have used the Internet in the past few months, you may have noticed that there is an abundance of advertisements strategically placed on many websites. These ads provide revenue for the owner of the website each time they are clicked on. The amount of money is determined the type of advertisement and if the click results in a sale for the advertiser.

As a young college graduate with limited wisdom on the workings of the world, there are unfortunately a limited number of topics that I can provide advice about. The one topic that I do know quite a lot about is obtaining funding for college. I had to take out student loans for both undergraduate and graduate school. As a result of the research I did, I believe I can provide somewhat sound advice for students attempting to pay for their education. The best part of my idea is that the advertisements that I have placed on my website are quite lucrative.

Now that you have taken the time to read this post, please be sure to check out the sound financial advice on my Student Loan Advice website! Perhaps you will even help me pay off my own loans by visiting some of the advertisers on my website. Hopefully you will see me some day talking about how I made millions from my one bedroom apartment by placing tiny advertisements on websites all over the Internet.

I beat P-Diddy

Well, the NYC Marathon is a couple weeks behind me and I am just finally sitting down to write about it. The race itself was incredible. I give a lot of credit to the New York Road Runners organization for putting on a great run. They were able to organize over 40,000 runners into three starting areas and based on previous finishing times. These runners were then herded into starting corrals which allowed for a somewhat organized start of the race.

The sight of NYC from street level is an experience I will never forget. The sight of Manhattan from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was incredible. The various ethnic neighborhoods kept my mind on the surrounding environment and not on what my body was telling me. I also was fortunate enough to have the support of my family who made the trip to NYC to cheer me on.

The most memorable part of the race will forever be the Queensboro Bridge. This two mile long span is known for being especially difficult because of a lack of fans encouraging you on as well as no water stops. As we ran up the first mile which is a slow and gradual incline to the apex of the bridge, the only sound to be heard were the pounding of shoes on the deck of the bridge. Halfway up we passed a runner from the wheel chair class who was struggling up the incline backwards, propelling himself upward with his one functional leg. I began to cheer for him and my shouting spread to hundreds of other runners on the bridge.

Once we reached the pinnacle of the bridge and began our descent, something could be heard from up ahead. It started out faint, but with each step it grew louder. As we approached the end of the bridge, there was a sharp turn to the left and then a steep 180 degree turn. The sound had grown into a powerful roar, and that is when the sight thousands of people standing 10 deep on the barriers hit me.

The rest of the race became increasingly difficult mentally as I physically began to deteriorate. My quads and calf cramped up into knots that grew larger with each step. Without the support of the fans and my family, it would have been difficult to finish. I was reduced to walking for a few minutes each mile after mile 22. The surge of energy that I had hoped would hit me as I came withing a mile of the finish failed to materialize. I felt worse with each step even as I crossed the finish line. It was a good feeling to be done, however, I was both mentally and physically drained.

Overall, the race was a great experience. My training paid off, and I was able to finish with a decent time (just over 4 hours.) I am grateful for the opportunity to see NYC from street level and I cannot thank those who cheered me on enough. I am also glad that I was able to beat Sean "puff daddy" Comb's time by more than 10 minutes.

NYC Marathon

I leave tomorrow morning to run in the New York City Marathon! I have been training diligently since I found out that I was admitted via the Lottery. The weather appears like it should be favorable and I hope to finish with a decent time. I will be sure to post my results and opinions about the race in the days following the event.

Over 110,000 people tried to get into this marathon, and I am one of the lucky 38,000 that will have the opportunity to run this race. I hope that I do not let down my friends and family who will be watching and that I can finish strong.

Updates will be posted soon!