Education http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:09:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Why a University Education? http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=82 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=82#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:09:19 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=82 The world in which we live is constantly evolving. We are demanding more and more from our citizens than ever before and in order to live up to the demands of the world we need a solid education upon which to base our skills and knowledge. There are many alternatives available for receiving an education these days, which is good news for those who have not yet managed to obtain a four-year college degree. Truthfully, that degree is the difference in literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime than not having a degree.

Four Reasons for a Four-Year Education

Money. The first reason that you should consider a university degree is the fact that it will substantially increase your earning potential. If nothing else appeals to you, this is typically the one reason that most people return to school after years in the work place. If you are in high school and haven’t really had to deal with the bills and burdens that many adults face it’s difficult to explain how important any edge when it comes to earning ability truly is. However, you should be aware that you need to choose your major wisely if money is your sole motivation. Not all careers pay equally when compare to the education required to enter them.

Insurance. This may seem like a strange term to use when discussing why you should get a university education but this is perhaps the best insurance you can find as far as employability goes. Having a university degree gives you a competitive edge over those who do not. In many cases you will find that education is beginning to trump experience as employers are seeking workers with more rounded skills rather than those with very specific skills. The modern university typically requires a brief exposure to all kinds of information and coursework that isn’t necessarily related to your major. This provides graduates with a broader understanding of the world (at least that is the assumption).

Employability. Believe it or not, those with degrees are much more employable than those that do not have them. There was a time when the trend was to employ those who had experience over those who had education. That trend is rapidly evaporating as companies want employees that can fill multiple roles more and more often. The limited exposure to certain ideas or ideals and principles that most people receive as part of their university education makes you a more employable candidate because you should be able to adapt and adjust, as this was required during your educational process.

Confidence. There is nothing quite like believing in yourself. Getting a four-year education is one way to build confidence not only on a personal level but also on a professional level. Whether or not you realize it, this is often the best reason for pursuing a university degree. This reason, as a matter of fact, will actually affect all of the other things I mentioned above. If you have more confidence in your ability you will be more willing to go out there and get the job done. As a result, you will earn more money and you will insure that you are an asset to your company by proving yourself to be just that.

Regardless of your personal reason for pursuing a university degree there are very few wrong reasons to get your degree. Good luck in your educational pursuits. I know they will serve you well.

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Why traditional education is better than technology-based? http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=80 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=80#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:08:56 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=80 On-line education is in trend nowadays. In the future, students may have the opportunity to study at home with computers rather than go to traditional schools like what we are used to doing.

There most common on-line form of education today is English tutorials. As of now, students and tutors use chatting, headset and web camera as the path of communication and of education. Is this the better option?

People must prefer the traditional way because in a classroom setting, students can learn and socialize with their peers. Also, from the instructor, he or she can teach students many valuable lessons of life which cannot be learned through technology. It is like the question of doing research through the library or the internet. Both have advantages and disadvantages but traditional education has the numerous advantages over on-line education.

Students learn better socially and academically in a classroom. Students are mostly young-aged. Therefore, they are generally interested in meeting and being with their peers. As they interact, it makes it easier for them to pay focus and learn. As social creatures, one could not just stay secluded and educate his own self. That is impossible! We live, grow, learn and succeed with people along the way.

Besides lecture materials, a classroom instructor teaches many other important life lessons. Students can learn and develop punctuality and good study habits. A teacher serves as a guide through education process which is a big part of life. Another important mission is to direct youth out of trouble. There is this bond between the instructor and the students which could not be built on-line. As the source of education, a teacher is not around just to introduce books and exams but also, he or she is selfless enough to share the lessons life taught her or him.

We must prefer to study at traditional schools and let us send our children there. It is because being around other people of our age or different ages gives us the opportunity to socialize and learn not only from the internet or books but from the society and from life. We could also learn other things which are important to education such as study skills. On-line education or any form of technology-based education is convenient. However, let us not risk quality. Long-term goals must always be prioritized.

No matter how advanced technology would be- there will always be these things that would stay best if they would be maintained as is. One of these things is EDUCATION.

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University Disadvantages http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=78 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=78#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:08:33 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=78 We have discussed some of the wonderful advantages that university life and educations present. However, we must in turn discuss some of the other disadvantages that are associated with university learning as well. While we discuss these you should keep in mind that they do not by any means indicate that you should give up on your higher education goals, only that you should view your educational process with realistic expectations.

When compared with the community college system the very first and most distinctive disadvantage that comes to mind is the high cost of upper education on the university level. Community colleges are simply more cost effective all around than universities. The costs go well beyond that money that would be spent on room and board making the tuition alone cost prohibitive in many cases. While there are many types of financial aid available to students the vast majority of college students in this country make ends meet through the use of student loans, which must be repaid at quite a hefty interest rate, in order to cover the costs associated with university educations.

Beyond the one obvious disadvantage there are a few other disadvantages that bear mentioning in this particular circumstance. First of all, universities do not have the small intimate classroom settings that literally set community colleges apart. In fact, for lower level course, most universities offer large auditorium classes that are taught by graduate students rather than professors and more often than not the students never get to know those who are charged with their education on more than a nod and smile while passing in the halls basis. This method for learning is considered by many to be exceptionally inferior and the statistics prove that students who go straight into a four-year college environment rather than going through a community college first are far less likely to complete their degrees.

If that isn’t enough of a disadvantage, many people find that the impersonal atmosphere of most universities is quite limiting when it comes to interaction with other students. The smaller classroom environments of community colleges invite interaction between the students in the class. An open line of communication within the classroom is greatly preferred to having so many students that no one gets a voice or the ability to voice their opinions or personal experiences when it comes to certain topics.

Another disadvantage to university life is the sheer size of university campuses. Community colleges tend to be much more compact. This means that students have a fairly decent chance of making it to all classes on time and without the worry of walking 2 miles in ten minutes. While this is great for physical fitness, missing the first ten minutes of class each week can limit the educational process that your university experience should be providing. It seems like such a small thing on one hand but when you are hauling around a day’s worth of textbooks and a laptop–that hike can be the thing that marines seem dubious about accomplishing.

While there are a few distinctive disadvantages to university life, the fact remains that graduation from a university is the single biggest way to increase your earning potential over the course of your lifetime. The amounts are by no means insignificant. I highly recommend whenever possibly that you attend community college for the first two years of your college education. Beyond that, I strongly urge you to consider the value that completing your education and getting a four-year degree can provide.

If you wish to build self-confidence, earning potential, and job security, there is no way of doing so that is superior to getting a four-year degree. It doesn’t matter where you are in life or your career; it is never too late to begin getting your education. There are so many things in the world that a good education will open your eyes to in addition to the doors of opportunity a four-year degree will open.

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The True Value of a Two-Year College http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=76 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=76#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:07:56 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=76 Higher education in this country is rapidly becoming a necessity in the business community rather than a luxury. There was a time when those who had a high school education still had the opportunity to build a better world for themselves and their families. Those days are rapidly becoming another dieing ember of the past. If you hope to have significant earning potential during your lifetime you are almost completely limited by your learning potential and the level of education you have received.

The good news is that you do not have to have an all or nothing approach when it comes to education. You can begin by taking baby steps when it comes to higher education. If you have a community college in your area, this is one of the greatest resources for beginning your college education at any stage in your life. Most community colleges offer classes at various times during the day and evening, even some on Saturday in order to accommodate students of different ages and backgrounds.

Community colleges also offer an excellent opportunity to begin your learning quest in a manner that is much more easily affordable to the average citizen than a full-blown university. These colleges are largely commuter colleges though there are several that allow students the experience of living on a college campus at a much lower price than most major universities charge for the same or very similar privileges.

Community colleges also allow you to explore your options if you aren’t really sure what direction you wish for your education to take without paying such a high price for the process. If you know the career path you wish to take you might find a two-year degree program that can have you out of school and in a career much sooner than a four-year program will allow. If that isn’t good enough news for you, many of the two-year programs of study that are offered at the community college level may very well transfer quite easily into bachelor degree programs at the university level.

Community colleges offer an excellent start for many people who are seeking higher education whether to further their careers or just to find fulfillment on a personal level in life. There are many wonderful programs in vocational fields as well as academic fields that can be explored and studies on the community college level.

For graduating high school students community colleges help students ease into the adjustment from high school to college without going through the culture shock that some universities can put students through. You will find that there are often many opportunities to meet educational as well as social needs on the community college level for students that are interested in pursuing a community college education.

You should also discover that community colleges are much easier to budget when it comes to setting aside funds and savings for either your personal college education or the educational expenses of your children. Having them attend a community college for two years then transferring to a University can save a great deal of money and provide you a little piece of mind that your children are still receiving an excellent level of education.

Seriously, if you are looking for an excellent value when it comes to education you would be doing yourself or your children a disservice if you do not check out the community college options in your area before taking the plunge and diving into the university lifestyle. You will find that community colleges often offer an equal level of education for the introductory classes that first and second year college students often take, they are a much better value for the money, and they are an outstanding values for those who are trying to juggle their education with family and work responsibilities.

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The Dollars and Cents of a Four-Year Degree http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=74 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=74#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:07:38 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=74 When it comes down to the importance of an education there is no denying that the longer you stay in school the better off you are when it comes to earning potential over the course of your lifetime. Recent estimates have presented some rather astonishing figures to support these claims however, and I for one think they are well worth mentioning.

Let’s discuss first things first however. A high school diploma will net the average citizen $200,000 additional dollars of lifetime income on average. This is one small baby step when it comes to the educational process however. Some college, even without a degree will even increase that figure an additional $150,000 for a total of $350,000. If this isn’t enough to convince you however try the facts and figures that are associated with the additional earning potential that a four-year degree introduces: $500,000. This addition makes a total of $850,000 more over the course of a lifetime in earning potential. I don’t know about you but I find those figures to be quite a nice motivator for going back and finishing a degree.

While a person’s education may not be an accurate indicator of his or her actual ability it is often used in the business world to narrow down a growing field of applicants for a sadly stagnate number of positions across the country. There are things you just can’t see on a piece of paper and ability and capabilities are among those things. Businesses need a defining factor by which they narrow down the field of potential employees and that defining characteristic is often a college degree in the field of business or a complimentary major course of study.

While this may not seem fair to many who have the practical skills companies are seeking employees that can fill multiple roles in order to eliminate positions that have been occupied in the past. For this reason they want business people who have technical skills and a college education provides a brief introduction to many skills that are useful in these situations. Unfortunately, the only way to know whether or not you have these specific skills is if you list them on your resume while those who have a four-year degree are believed to have them by the merit of their educations.

The earning potential alone should be enough to turn your head when it comes to the importance of earning a college degree though there are many more excellent reasons to pursue the completion of your degree. If you haven’t considered some of the other wonderful reasons for returning to college and getting your degree, perhaps the reasons below will provide a little additional motivation.

1) Challenge. There is very little in life that offers the challenge of returning to college after an absence. It is a frightening prospect for many and yet can be equally as exciting. You will find that the constant exposure to academic debate is a great way to feed your mind and open your eyes to new ideas. Challenge your preconceptions and challenge the limits of your own experiences by opening up your mind to the thoughts and ideas of others.
2) Learn New Skills. There is never a bad time to begin learning new skills no matter what they say about old dogs and new tricks. The truth is that as long as you open your mind to learning you are feeding it and that is a great thing.
3) Career advancement. Whether you realize it or not, a college degree is one of the quickest paths you can take to career advancement.

If the money wasn’t enough to convince you of the impact that a four-year degree can make in your life perhaps the reasons mentioned above were enough to do the trick. Whether or not you realize how much a degree can affect your life the truth of the matter is that it can improve so many things about your life and how you view yourself and the world around you. Now is the perfect time to go back to school and earn your degree.

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The Benefits of Online Learning http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=72 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=72#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:07:17 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=72 While there are all kinds of benefits that are associated with learning and furthering your educational goals there are even more benefits to those who wish to pursue online learning in order to achieve those goals. I hope you will find that many of these benefits are quite enlightening and carefully consider whether or not online learning for your secondary education needs will be in your best interests.

1) Convenience. This is a word we are quite familiar with. Right along with instant gratification. We are a society of people who have lived with drive thru banking and fast food and are rapidly moving in the direction of drive thru pharmacies and dry cleaning. We live in a fast paced world and when we can work education into our busy schedules and on our own terms we find that this is something we tend to like a lot. I recommend that you watch for a growing number of online classes and online students in the coming years as more and more professionals decide to further their degrees and their careers.
2) Flexibility. You can take these classes or do the work during your lunch break, while the kids are practicing soccer, or while cooking dinner (depending of course on how well you multitask). You do not need to be in the classroom every night at 6:00 pm for the next five years in order to get the same degree of education. This by no means indicates that you will not have to do the work. The work will not change nor will the fact that you have a limited time in which to complete the work. What will change is that you will have the option of doing the work in the morning, afternoon, or after those 2 a.m. feedings when you can’t seem to get back to sleep.
3) Location. There isn’t enough that can really be said about this. Online education comes to you wherever you happen to be able to connect to the Internet. Whether you are at home, at work, or your favorite Internet café you can have the convenience of taking your work with you and enjoying the environment in which you are completing your work.
4) Less Expensive. No more convenience meals, childcare expenses, or gas guzzling trips to a college campus that thirty minutes away. You can now enjoy in your own home the benefits of an education without many of the financial hardships that are often associated with attending college. Internet access seems like such a small price to pay when compared with all the reasons mentioned above.
5) Believe it or not, online courses help you brush up your online abilities. Seriously. You will be better at dealing with email, bulletin boards, online research, and you will learn countless other skills along the way that you probably never realized had anything to do with the courses you are actually taking-because they don’t. In other words, you are getting more of an education than you bargained for when it comes to online learning.
6) Individual attention. Online students often have more one on one interaction with their professors than students in a classroom. The online classroom is virtual and correspondence through email is essential in this particular learning environment. For this reason it is quite possible that your professors will know more about you and your learning patterns and needs than they will know about most of the students they see two or three times a week in their classrooms.

While these are just a few of the benefits of taking online classes you should carefully weigh the benefits with the things that may be problematic about this particular type of learning situation before you take the plunge. Learning is a lifelong process but if you are seeking a degree you do not want to jeopardize that by taking a course that will not address your specific learning needs. If you feel confident that you can be successful in this particular type of learning environment than I feel you will truly enjoy the experience and the flexibility it brings to the educational process.

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The Benefits of Education through Music http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=70 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=70#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:06:47 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=70 Music is the best discovery of man. As one of the highest forms of expression, man was able to turn to music as his form of catharsis. Songs were written out of the deepest feelings and the best thoughts about life and love.

Music is appreciated by people from all walks of life and all ages. By all ages, it means adults and kids alike. The benefits of music for adults are obvious. For kids, there are numerous special benefits of music and learning different instruments. At an early age, there are children who manifest great interest and talent when it comes to music. However, it does not mean that those who only show early interests are the only ones who must learn and enjoy the benefits.

  • Music education and learning how to play musical instruments develop the child’s left side of the brain which is involved in the processing of language. Also, it nurtures the child’s spatial intelligence since there is a link between music and this kind of intelligence. This intelligence is about identifying things that may come together up to solving mathematical problems.
  • Music as a form of Art really helps kids grow up with creativity. Through art, they could think in all aspects and not merely search for one concrete answer. This is where critical-thinking starts. There is also one study that shows how much it could help students develop special academic skills. The results state that kids who learn music excel in achievement tests in high school compared to those who do not.
  • Through music, a child could get easily exposed to different people, different cultures. This would allow them to know, discover, explore and understand other people and other culture. This is an early training for them to be exposed to what the world is.
  • Kids also get educated on how to build the craftsman in them. Moreover, in playing the instrument, mastery is a factor. That makes a mistake- really a mistake. With this, a student learns the value of consistent effort to achieve excellence or satisfaction. Learning how to play instruments in a group makes a kid learn the essence of teamwork.
  • Musical instruments will teach kids to actively participate in learning than sit down and observe only. Furthermore, it will enhance his self-expression. The most important thing is that kids learn to conquer their fears, show their talents and share what they have. This is a foundation of a better growth and development in the holistic sense.

Education has the most flexible range. As much as possible it could extend its arms on every aspect that may mold a person into somebody who would be of real life, living not just for his very self. But, for the world.

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Teachers Lecture or Students Talk? http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=68 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=68#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:06:12 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=68 While some students prefer lectures where the professors do all of the talking, other students like to participate in the discussion. The latter is commendable. When students are allowed to speak, they become better communicators as well as become more interested in the topic.

Students who are encouraged to speak in class learn how to express their selves verbally. Students who possess strong communication skills are making it big in interviews and perform better when dealing with clients or customers. As we are all aware of, the employment industry often requires people with good communication skills. These people appear to be more confident as well.

Passive form of educating students is not that common these days. This method is existent in conservative countries only. This does not polish students well. It looks like they appear to be absorbers only. Communication is a two-way process and it is the best form of education. Could we call it communication when the receivers do not even have the chance to give feedbacks?

Talking in class help students to stay focused and interested. Students are more concerned because they anticipate being asked to answer. Each would love to be heard and listened to as they actively participate in the discussion. The class will not only be interesting but also practical for everyday life.

Evaluation is a process of measuring what has the students learned. How could an instructor evaluate his or her students when he or she is the only one talking? Paper and pencil tests are also forms of evaluation but they are not complete at all. There are a lot of evaluation types needed in order to come up with the most reliable source.

Evaluation is important because it will give answers to the following questions: Were the objectives of the lesson or chapter achieved? Was the teacher effective? Did the students learn what they needed to?

The active way of teaching has kept the most literate countries move fast when it comes to their educational system improvement. Education is important for a country to keep it tall against these challenging times. Having uneducated people is the worst liability a country could have. The economy is also affected by the degree of education it has.

In the end, tall buildings could not substitute the people’s mind. As a person explores life, he will need the tool of communication. Being silent is necessary sometimes but keeping one’s mouth all the time is almost next to ignorance and selfishness.

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Student Loans Should be Last Resort http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=66 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=66#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:05:42 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=66 Student loans are both a blessing and a curse to college students all across the country. On one hand, student loans allow you to have the money you need in many cases to attend college at all. On the other hand, most college students, particularly those entering college for the first time have inflated opinions of their starting salaries upon graduation and the bills they will face while living in the real world. In fact, most freshmen college students have no real concept of the limits of money in which to base their decisions as to whether or not they can realistically expect to repay those funds once they’ve graduated college.

The sad truth is that many college graduates find that for the first 10-15 years after they have graduated college, they are essentially indentured servants to their student loan debts. There are many reasons for this and different college graduates will find different things about their student loans when the appropriate time comes. First of all, those taking out student loans need to understand that a college degree does not guarantee a high starting salary. Beyond that, a college degree is no guarantee that there will be employers lining up to take your name and number upon graduation. The truth is that most college grads take anywhere from 6 months to a year to find a job in their fields and even then the starting salaries are often far less than anticipated.

Part of the blame for over-inflated expectations is the fault of universities attempting to validate their high tuition rates by displaying average starting salaries of only those that have successful offers in the field of study immediately upon graduation (which usually indicates a history of working with the company or another company as an intern prior to being hired) and not those students who have no prior work experience in their chosen fields. Part of the expectations is students reading job advertisements for experienced workers in a field and assuming that an education will provide the experience that employers require. Regardless of the reason, most starting salary expectations are not realistic in light of the current market.

The problem is that for many students a student loan is the difference in receiving a college education or not receiving one. For these students, there is no option. The price they will pay (with interest) for having student loans in order to get through the educational process will repay itself over the course of a lifetime if they are wise about making the necessary payments and stay on top of things such as consolidation loans and making payments on time.

Student loans are a great tool for those who have no other options when it comes to attending and affording to attend a university. On the other hand, for those who do not have an absolute need for the funds a student loan can provide they can prove to be problematic when trying to establish your career and your lifestyle upon graduation. This is a tool for education that should be used sparingly at best.

Whether or not you choose to take out student loans in order to fund your college education it is a good idea if you exhaust all other available resources first. Check out your options for grants, scholarships, and work-study programs before leaping into student loans to pay for your education.

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Sex (education) is Not a Taboo http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=64 http://www.oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=64#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:05:20 +0000 admin http://oregonballetfoundation.org/?p=64

Pre-marital sex which leads to teenage pregnancy, most of the time: unwanted. Since it is unwanted, it will be easy for a young mom to decide whether to keep it or not. Some keep the baby, some decided to say bye. It makes us feel so bad to know the sad truth that not making a baby lives is still an option. And, this decision is being made by a young mother. Today, sex is everywhere and it is experienced by many young people out of curiosity, out of impulse.

Sex issues involving the youth is among the social problems the world faces. We all know that the youth is the bloodstream of the society because of their idealism, zest and will. However, they seem to take the wrong path sometimes by being into the temptations, one of these is being sexually active.

As an answer to the growing problem like this, proposals of an all-out sex education grew big. Around the world, sex education has been embraced. There is this side of people who believe that school is the best venue for any awareness program vital for the youth. In some portions of the world like the USA, the government has been exerting effort. One problem pressing the youth is the spread of HIV and AIDS.

In the past, sending them to exclusive schools was the step to somehow lessen such problems. However, not all liked this step. Many said it was not that effective.

For other countries, the means of presenting it to a class of sex education seemed wrong. Instead of something educational, it turned out to be like a session of giggling and all… like the purpose is not properly achieved or not at all achieved.

In some conservative countries, it is still not so openly-discussed. Not all countries adopt a sex education as part of the educational system. Some just include it in lessons like health or other concerning biology.  For these countries, sex is a taboo and therefore must not be talked about out in the open.

This worsens the situation. The young just keep their questions in mind. They suppress it until such time that they get a chance and pour out what they have kept Education about sex is a need. It is not something to debate about. It is something to implement but with the proper planning to meet its real objectives. The world needs the youth. Their lives matter. They are the catalysts of change. Let us save them from the pitfall of unsafe sex.

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