Toys making the difference in the learning gap?

Toys that are specifically marketed to boys or girls may affect how children learn, according to a new study.

“She found that while parental choices for boys were characterised by toys that involved action, construction and machinery, there was a tendency to steer girls towards dolls and perceived “feminine” interests, such as hairdressing.

‘The very clear message seems to be that boys should be making things, using their hands and solving problems, and girls should be caring and nurturing,’ she says. ‘It is likely that many of the boys in the study sleep with a teddy, but this was not noted by parents as a favourite toy.'”

The researcher believes that the toys given to boys and the toys given to girls propel them to certain fields. For example, boys would be pushed towards science and engineering, while girls might choose a “nurturing” field like nursing.

But some believe that a child’s choice in a toy may be caused by genetics.

Regardless, are marketers to blame for gendered toys? Should parents and teachers make more of an effort to provide children a wider range of toys?

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They only want the best

For the sake of a good education, some parents are researching the teachers their children are assigned to in school. If the teacher doesn’t meet the parents’ expectations or qualifications, the parents appeal to the school to switch teachers. 

“Some spend hours crafting the perfect letter or meet with the principal to make an argument,” the article said. 

The parents often target teachers that they hear good reviews of, but one principal noted that one person’s experience with a teacher won’t necessarily mean the next person will have the same experience.

Is this going too far or is your child’s education worth going the extra mile?

When I went to school, it wasn’t very common for students to switch teachers, even if the teacher was not that good.  Maybe my school was an exception.

Have any parents switched their child’s teacher?

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Lange Middle School collects 525 hats and mittens

Lange Middle School collected 525 hats and mittens for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri this week.

The school sponsored the hat and mitten drive to help the “Little” Brothers and Sisters.

“They (Big Brothers Big Sisters) do so much for our school,” said Lange Middle School’s print secretary Jenny Maddox. “They make a difference and we wanted to give back.”

Mary Sloan, community relations director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, said the organization doesn’t normally get involved with charity drives for its Littles but Lange Middle School wanted to do it.

Students who donated items were entered into a drawing for a chance to present all of the donations on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 9:30 a.m. at Big Brothers Big Sisters office, 800 N. Providence Rd.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is planning to give the hats and mittens to its’ Littles.

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How far should a school go to measure progress?

In addition to keeping track of test results, schools in Britain are also keeping track of whether their students are “falling into the grip of extremists and fanatics.”

The teachers can look over the 47-page checklist for signs of change and are required to report names of students who demonstrate those signs.

The schools are also handing out surveys to parents and students to determine if the schools are doing enough to promote healthy eating, discourage drugs and alcohol, fighting discrimination and whether they offer a good range of extra-curricular activities.

The person who wrote the story believes that schools are taking on too much with the extremist checklist and the surveys.

What do you think if Columbia Public Schools would employ the same measures?  If you are a student of CPS or parent of a CPS student would you answer the survey?

The surveys in Britain are to gauge the school’s progress — it’s like their own report card.

Could this help CPS or is it unnecessary?

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New security system scans driver’s license to check for sex offenders

Earlier this week, a St. Louis school district installed a new security system to determine if a visitor to the school was listed on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list state sex offender registries. The visitor’s driver license is scanned and if the visitor’s name is cleared, they get a visitor pass. The system cost the school district $120,000.

Should Columbia employ this security measure?

Recently, a Columbia man was arrested on suspicion of molestation of two elementary school children, although that incident happened off school grounds. On Sept. 20, an MU graduate student pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transferring obscene material to a minor; a man was arrested in mid September for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a minor Stephens Lake Park; a man was arrested north of Columbia for statutory rape of a 14-year-old.

 

What do you think? Obviously, CPS would wait a few years to see how the St. Louis district’s pilot program goes before attempting installing the same system. Is this a good idea? Or is the school district going too far?  

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Banning fast food restaurants to solve childhood obesity?

On Tuesday, the Guardian, a UK newspaper, posted an article about how a local authority within Britain wants to ban fast food restaurants from opening within 400 meters of schools, youth centers, and parks. They believe this measure would combat childhood obesity. The local authorities said that there are too many fast food restaurants in their area. Also, they want to restrict the number of hours the businesses are open.

What do you think of this idea? Would this work in Columbia? Rock Bridge High School, Douglass High School and Hickman High School have open lunches, allowing students to leave the campuses for lunch, and there are plenty of fast food restaurants around the schools for students to choose from.

Is this a good plan to help reduce obesity? What else could Columbia do to help eliminate childhood obesity?

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A new way to challenge yourself

Last week, I met with John Wilkerson, Director of Admissions for Columbia College, for my AP story. Originally, I met with him to find out how Columbia College uses AP credit but Wilkerson mentioned another academic program that Columbia College is looking for in applications: the International Baccalaureate.

The IB “offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools.”

The IB offers three programs — the primary years program for three to 12-year-olds, the middle years programs for 11 to 16-year-olds and the diploma program for 16 to 19-year-olds, according to its’ website. In the past, the diploma program has been the organization’s most popular.

Currently, the IB is in 2,045 schools in 129 countries, with the United States having the most schools.

So what is the point of IB? The IB combines its curriculum from multiple countries and emphasizes an “international-mindedness” where all students learn a second language. The course work is challenging and is considered to be the “sister” of AP since many universities offer college credit for courses taken in the diploma program.

Wilkerson said: “Columbia College actively recruits students who have completed IB and AP coursework, as these students have evidenced strong academic ability while in high school. Students with this background stand out in the admissions process as high-caliber applicants.”

In addition, incoming students at Columbia College with an IB diploma are classified as sophomores, but are still eligible for freshmen scholarships.

Neither Rock Bridge High School nor Hickman High School have the IB, but Hickman Director of Guidance Ann Landes told me that the school looked into the IB but ultimately decided to concentrate on strengthening their AP program. She said the school is looking into the Advancement Via Individual Determination program (AVID) as a way to do that.

Rock Bridge Director of Guidance Betsy Jones said she was not aware of any plans for the school to become an IB world school.

For more information about the IB, click here.

What do you think about the IB? Would it be worth it for Columbia students to become involved with the program? Or would it be a waste of their time?

—Steph Kukuljan

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For future tigers: how AP transfers

I recently wrote an article about the increase of AP enrollment in Columbia and thought I would explain more about how those scores transfer to MU.  

Unlike Columbia College and Stephens College, MU does not have one straight-shot equivalency for all AP scores.  

 

For example, Student A is taking AP US history, AP English lit and comp, AP German language and AP calculus AB . In order to achieve credit at MU, Student A must earn a 4 in AP US history to receive five credit hours (history 1400), a 4 in AP English lit and comp to receive six credit hours (English 1000 plus a humanities course), a 3 for AP German language to receive 16 credit hours (German 2160, 1100, 1200 and 2100) and a 3 for AP calculus AB to receive to 10 credit hours (math 1160 and 1500).     

 

Student B is taking AP European history, AP English language and comp, AP Spanish language and AP calculus BC. That student must earn a 4 in AP European history to receive three credit hours (history 1510), a 4 in AP English language and comp to receive three credit hours (English 1000), a 3 in AP Spanish language to receive three credit hours (Spanish 2160) and a 3 in AP calculus BC to receive 15 credit hours(math 1160, 1500 and 1700). 
 

To see more of MU’s list click here.
 

But since my story focused on the benefits of AP, does anyone see the downsides to AP? I left out a comment by Samantha Eiffert, a Rock Bridge student featured in the story, who said that AP doesn’t transfer to all universities. Has anyone had this type of problem where their AP credit didn’t transfer? 

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