This month it all about letting go. Never an easy thing
especially when it’s a loved one and a loved one who has been dependent on us
and, truth be told, who we have been dependent on, as well, dependent for
companionship, sense of being needed and so much more.
Once, I was volunteering as a marshal for the PGA and one of
the main organizers came up to me and said – “How do you all raise children
here in Pittsburgh? We LOVE having events here – the teenage volunteers are
GREAT! They show up, they work hard, they do what is asked of them and take it
seriously. They’re just GREAT!”
I said, “It’s not like this in the rest of the world?”
He said, “Heck no! Everywhere else, especially in
California, they’re lazy, spoiled, mean, entitled, and irresponsible – nothing like
here in Pittsburgh – the exact opposite, as a matter of fact.”
“Well,” I said, “I don’t have children myself but I can tell
you that Pittsburghers don’t raise children, we raise adults. And parents take
a great source of pride in how their children turn out and that is to be hard
workers, responsible citizens and great parents themselves.”
In talking with this PGA professional, I was so incredibly
proud of being a Pittsburgher and the wonderful job all the parents do in
raising their children and young adults.
Do you have any advice or experiences to share? How do you
cope with being an empty nester?
Please leave comments below!
In our special January Education issue of Northern Connection magazine, I started the conversation
on the whether students should be required to “dress for success” whether that
be adhering to a dress code or wearing a uniform.
As I mentioned, I loved the ease of wearing a uniform at
school. My sister also loved wearing a school uniform because it made everyone
(especially all the girls) even – no status of high fashion and expense, no
competition. At least not in that regard.
Studies across the country have proven time and again that students behave
better and performance increases when wearing a uniform or adhering to a strict
dress code. As in this report from education.com points out regarding a dress code
policy in Long Beach California:
“Long Beach Superintendent Carl A. Cohn reported that during the first year
suspensions decreased by 32 percent, school crime by 36 percent, fighting by 51
percent, and vandalism by 18 percent (Cohn). At Whittier Elementary, attendance
rates have risen each year since the policy went into effect, reaching a high
of 96 percent (Caruso). Schools in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Maryland, New York, and Virginia have made similar claims (Caruso).”
(Visit http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Student_Dress_Codes/
to read the whole report.)
Of course, some students (and their parents) have rebelled
against dress codes citing everything from freedom of expression to civil
liberties, in spite of the positive data from study after study that proves
otherwise.
To learn more about student rights and dress codes, visit http://education.findlaw.com/student-rights/school-dress-codes.html.
So what are your opinion, thoughts and experiences? Do you
think dress codes should be stricter? More lenient? Should they be mandatory, better enforced? Have
you ever heard of a case that was taking the rules a bit too far?
Be sure and leave your comments below and let’s Continue the
Conversation:
