Some Simple Suggestions About Inequality and Education

For a “progressive society”, we sure have a knack for leaving people behind. Experts across the board agree that education and public school systems both play roles in inequality. Humans are naturally altruistic, but it’s easy to form habits of selfish thinking in a wealthy, consumerist society such as our own. Sometimes we lose sight about how our privileges may perpetuate the struggles of those less fortunate who, for the record, do not always choose their situations. If educational differences help to create inequality, then I have some suggestions for our teachers, administrators, and the like to help even the playing field, hopefully without dumbing down the process.

  1. Computers
    Some families, believe it or not, don’t have home computers now days. Some have only one, but it isn’t enough for the whole family to use as much as they need. As fantastic as it is that children are taught at a young age how to type and use various programs in a school’s computer lab, computer mandatory work outside of class becomes a problem when students don’t have access to a computer.Again, not that education should be slowed down – but there needs to be more ways for students to use a computer if they don’t have one. Maybe schools should be striking deals with local libraries and the like for free computer use (some make you pay). If they have the budget, providing laptops for in class use may be ideal, which I’ve also seen done before. How late are the school libraries or computer labs open? Maybe try offering less computer work, and if not that, more time to get it done.
  2. School Trips
    A lot of schools do this already, but when field trips or class staycations take place (AKA a class trip to DC), there will always be students who struggle to afford it. Putting the full burden on a fourteen year old to raise the money with no help from the school that is putting a heavy class emphasis on the trip is a bit crazy.Obviously, these kinds of trips can never be totally mandatory. But if you as a teacher think it’s very important your students go, then don’t let kids fend for themselves in these situations – help struggling students fundrasise. Set up opportunities for other students to help out as well- car washes, bake sales, etc. Working together and opening doors for everyone to contribute may actually build a community mindset that considers people as a whole and not just on an individual level.
  3. Tutors
    Of course, tutoring has evolved with the technology age as well, but again, it’s generally something people have to be able to afford in order to benefit from. However make no mistake – free or affordable good tutoring in schools is essential for students who need it. At the least, it needs to be more available for those in less fortunate families, and there has to be a middle ground between Special Education and normal paced Education when someone is struggling. The problem I fear about some of these special training programs is that they slow students down rather than helping them move forward. That is, they inadvertently teach people to give up on themselves because they’re naturally not good enough. That’s not okay, and while I 100% support and see the need for special education, there has to be a more concentrated effort than there is currently to keep people in a normal-paced curriculum who are capable.

Now as you’ll notice, a lot of things come down to availability of resources. I don’t know a ton about school budgets and money, and I’m sure not a teacher. But I have seen educational inequality and there has to be something done to fix that. Expecting students in public schools to have access to resources they may not won’t fix any problems. If we could only get people the same resources as their neighbors, we would be able to give them a fighting chance, and then it would be up to them. They could live in a fair system, and that’s necessary if we truly do, as Americans, believe that “all humans were created equal.”

Maximum Strength and Why You Shouldn’t Obsess About It

Professional athletes and bodybuilders have extremely specific goals – performing well in competitions, beating their own or world records, etc. But if you’re someone who doesn’t give a damn what you lift as long as you’re able to play football with your kids or look good for the person you love, keeping up a hard workout pace isn’t as necessary as it used to be a few years ago.

When Do People Start Obsessing About Maximum Strength?

People usually start obsessing about strength between the ages of 16 and 24, when testosterone starts doing its thing. They just want to be strong and don’t care about being athletic. This is all right to an extent, because strength is the basis for getting bigger, faster, and more athletic. However, in order to maximize muscular development and eventually have a great body, the approach should be more balanced. Having tons of workout gear and using all the supplements available won’t make you more athletic. It will probably boost your ego and make you feel like that shredded guy from a protein shake commercial, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.

What about the flexibility and functionality of your body? Ok, you can deadlift, squat, and bench heavy, but on the other hand you may have trouble jumping in a coordinated manner or performing a one-foot stand without losing balance.

So, What Are You Training for?

Do you avoid playing a game of pick-up basketball or football with your friends because it will interfere with your workout the next day? What older, experienced athletes, lifters and coaches will tell you is that maximizing your strength isn’t the only thing out there. If you plan to do this for a long time, you’ll need to change your way of thinking.

Perhaps you started training some time ago for completely different reasons, had certain goals that aren’t that important today. Maybe you found heavy training to be therapeutic before, but find other things more important now, such as building your career, playing sports with your friends, or going hiking with your spouse.

Re-Evaluation

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If you feel that things aren’t what they used to be, then it’s the right time to ask yourself – what am I training for? It’s time to rework your goals and training preferences, and to open up to all the different training variables. What are you getting from your training and is that what you really want?

Will an athlete be better if he adds 50 pounds to his squat or bench? You have pursued maximum strength above all, but did you lose relative strength or gain mass? It is harder for an athlete to change direction or decelerate due to additional mass, right? Coaches do value maximum strength in training, but to a certain extent. We all have our physical limitations, so constantly chasing strength simply means a bad allocation of workout resources. As for training supplements, filling up with proteins, carbs, creatine, steroids and other chemicals will most certainly do you more harm than good. Supplements are a great addition to workouts, but only when you know what and how to consume. For example, proteins like optimum nutrition gold standard whey are popular, but also tested safe to be used as pre- or post-workout supplementation. Performance enhancing drugs such as steroids have numerous negative side-effects like developing dependence, psychiatric disorders (depression or aggressive behavior), heart problems, infertility, impotence, and many other health issues.

Other Things in Life

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If you’re not a competitive athlete and want to do other things in life, then you certainly should be able to do them. Once you’re in the playing field of the real world, it doesn’t matter what amount of weight you can lift without your health. Also, when you’re younger, your body can handle much heavier work. Take a turn and focus to train other qualities, reduce the number of your heavy days, and drop your training to 80-90% of what you max.

You should know that you can get more from less. Learn to auto-regulate, even though you track your workouts and have a plan. If you woke up feeling fantastic, then play your favorite workout music playlist and train like there’s no tomorrow. On the other hand, don’t go to the extreme, ditching the gym completely or going as heavy as you can, but warm-up first and see how things are going.

Four Things to Take Care of Before Leaving College

So you’re done with college and on to your next adventure! Should you choose to become a traveling nomad, this article may not apply to you. However, if you’re moving to a new place to start a new life as an “adult”, listen up: it’s time to start planning ahead professionally. Here are a few suggestions to get you ready for this new shift in your life.

1. Get on LinkedIn!

Upon leaving college, many of your personal connections will become professional connections. But unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is a place to connect on a professional level. It’s specifically designed to let you see where connections are working and what they’ve achieved in the workplace. Those connections stay important when you’re job shopping or looking for partners on a project and need an industry insider with experience. In addition, many job recruiters are looking through LinkedIn profiles and even using it to screen potential employees before an interview even starts. To be frank, I’ve even been offered jobs through it. In this age, it’s almost necessary to be taken seriously as an employee.

2. Pack Light!

When moving, you should take mostly necessities for your new life and that naturally means letting go of textbooks, extra office supplies, and anything else you no longer use. This doesn’t mean you have to throw them all out. You could sell those textbooks and office supplies to younger students. Do the same for clothes you don’t wear and furniture you won’t use. Really, your primary focus in what you take with you should be things you need or will be using a lot.

3. Think about Paying Off your Student Loans – Now!

Make a plan to pay your student loans off as soon as you can. As a starter, get educated on student loan interest rates if you’re not already. This will hopefully incline you to pay the most you can whenever you make payments. Afterward, simple adjustments like avoiding going out for eating and entertainment are easy ways to save some cash. Choosing to make food at home more often doesn’t have to mean dollar store tacos. In fact, you can learn how eat healthy on a budget. Use resources from fitness websites that show how to eat healthy and affordable are great places to start. Going to see movies or buying DVDs? Netflix and Hulu will be your best friends and save you hundreds on what you normally would spend at a theater. Cut free those everyday expenses that you don’t need. Your wallet will thank you.

4. Do Research on Moving Trucks and Equipment!

Assuming you can’t fit everything into your car, you may want to rent a truck. I think this is fine, but if you’ve never driven a larger vehicle before, you need to know a little bit about it! The experience is much different from driving a smaller car and when you’re carrying more weight that makes a lot of difference, especially with unfortunately minimal highway precautions in some places. Be careful, know the limitations of a vehicle that size, and only use one if you have to. When dealing with a business for something this important, know what you need in a company and how they should be acting with customer relations. Companies like American Van Lines have the best reviews, while U Haul – though it’s more popular, tend to have some of the worst. Some companies you may not expect offer these services as well.

Life is Unfair “La vie n’est pas juste” !

pMany of us use this expression when they experience an unfair phenomenon without being able to define the responsibility of this unfairness!

But how could we explain that someone who is powerful enough to take decisions that all concerned parties are obliged to accept without even negotiating , and he knows very well that his decision is unfair and when he is asked why he is taking this unfair decision , his answer is simple: “ Life is unfair” Continue reading “Life is Unfair “La vie n’est pas juste” !”