 the text, they are able to make choices about how to connect their interests and experiences to the text.
My next steps involve organizing our learning community to maximize students’ ability to learn from their peers and engage in a conversation. This will involve having students post commentaries online, but will not be limited to digital communication; tomorrow, I plan to have students do a Read Around with their commentaries to increase the number of classmates whose work they have read.
We all know the importance of standardized test scores in the college admissions game. This brings an overwhelming amount of stress and anxiety for many students. Unfortunately, when you are stressed, this detracts from performing at your optimum peak. In order to score the highest you can on your upcoming SAT or ACT test this spring, here are a few pieces of advice guaranteed to help bring up your score! Don’t believe me? Try it and let me know how it goes:
1. Where is your Test Center?
This is especially important if you are not taking the test at your own high school. If you can, drive to the location ahead of time, find where you will park, where you will check in, etc. The less stress you have in the moments leading up to the test, the better. Give yourself extra time to get to the testing site the morning of. If Google Maps says it will take you 20 minutes, allot 40 minutes just in case.
2. Relax
The night before the test, do something fun and relaxing. It sounds counter-intuitive, but no more cramming! Try to do something that takes your mind off of the test: watch a movie, read a book, go out with family or friends. If needs be, talk about your worries with a friend or family member or write it down in a journal to get it off your chest. Get to bed early and get your zzzz’s!
3. Pack Up
Pack your bag the night before with everything you will need (pencils, calculator, admission ticket, license or ID card), bottle of water, snacks, anything you will need to get you through the test day. Leave your bag by the door so you can easily grab it and go the morning of the test.
4. Fuel up
On the morning of the test, eat a good breakfast that will keep you energized and alert throughout the morning. Avoid super sugary foods like donuts or other pastries with lots of fat and high amounts of sugar. They can put a damper on your energy and concentration.
5. Only NOW matters
If you find yourself worrying in the middle of the test – STOP! As soon as you notice your mind wandering to a previous question or section, try to re-focus your energy on what you have happening in that moment. Take a few seconds to close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths. Then get back to the problem at hand.
You got this!!
Academic Tip of the Month Brought to you by ArborBridge
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To manage the trend of the aging Vietnamese population it’s important for people to rethink their education, work, and retirement plans, says the General Department of Population and Family Planning.
The good news is that people are today living healthier and longer lives, said Nguyen Van Tan, deputy head of the Department, noting that lifespans have increased by 33 years just over the past five decades.
In 1960 the average life expectancy in Vietnam was 40 whereas in 2012, the latest year for which statistics are available, it was 73.
Most importantly for younger generations, by reshaping their education plans, they could see their participation in the workforce last longer, which would increase their lifetime earnings and standard of living.
It would also be a virtual gold mine for them later in life during retirement.
Citing statistics from the World Bank he noted that within 20 years one in seven Vietnamese would be aged 65 or older, and this would create a wider gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in the absence of proper planning.
Mr Tan made the comments at a symposium in Hanoi touching on critical issues related to the country’s changing population trends such as its impact on the macro economy, the role of women, health, retirement and societal issues in general.
In addition, at the conference, Mr Tan outlined priorities for the Department of Population and Family Planning over the coming years as they relate to the role of women; health inequality; sustainable development; climate change; and using demographic data to better understand the country’s population dynamics.
The country is at a demographic crossroads, he said. It is experiencing shifting demographics due to improvements in health care and rapid aging for which the plight and future welfare of the poor and women, in particular, are key factors.
The antithesis to proper planning is a Vietnamese society that will have yet wider gaps in income, opportunity, education, and health in the coming years compared to that which exists today.
Without adequate planning the country in 20 years could find itself in a similar predicament that Germany, Japan, and Thailand all face today, critically short of younger workers to support the cost of healthcare and other societal needs of an aging populace.
Over time, the younger generation of today, which is generally perceived as a global competitive advantage, will mutate into a disadvantage in terms of the country’s ability to compete in the economic arena.
By focusing on the priorities he outlined, Mr Tan argued that the country could avoid the pitfalls of the aging demographic— but cautioned that there are still far too many that deny an aging population presents a problem.
He suggested that these people miss the larger point.
The central problem, he underlined, is that the Vietnamese life cycle where education occurs early in life, followed by long years of work with little leisure time and concludes with retirement and presumably more leisure at the end, is outdated.
In the case of Vietnam, this life cycle structure creates a mismatch resulting from fewer people in the work force that must support a larger proportion of those in retirement.
The answer must rely on improved education and continued contributions from a healthier more highly skilled older population, which requires the government and people to better manage and plan for the difficulties of an aging population.
The challenges are not going to go away, he concluded.
VOVWhile sitting in the lobby of one of the conference hotels during our discipline’s major conference in November, I was joined by a group of post-docs and very early career scholars who were (loudly) discussing their career plans in this tight market. What I caught of their conversation can be summed up as such: We all currently have (or hope to have) tenure track jobs at “teaching schools,” but as soon as we can, we’ll get out of there and move on to the “real” jobs at elite institutions where our research will be valued.
St. Joseph’s loses late to St. Bonaventure, 54-52
Taylor Funk's 19 points and Jordan Hall's 16 led the Hawks.
St. Joseph's Taylor Funk shoots in the first half of a game earlier this season.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer
Jalen Adaway’s shot with 36 seconds left put St. Bonaventure ahead by one, Dominick Welch added a free throw with 10 seconds left and the Bonnies topped St. Joseph’s, 54-52, Saturday night at Hagan Arena.
The Hawks, who missed three shots in the final 30 seconds of the game, were led by Taylor Funk’s 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hall added 16 points and Erik Reynolds 10 for the Hawks (10-17, 4-12 Atlantic 10)
Adaway paced the Bonnies (19-7, 11-4) with 14 points and added seven rebounds. Kyle Lofton chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds while Welch had 11 points.I was talking to my buddy Jason Cass (Chairman of the National Young Agents of IIABA and Owner of JDC Insurance) the other day to exchange ideas about marketing and sales and how we each can leverage technology more efficiently to effectively dominate our respective markets.
I brainstorm with a couple of young agents throughout the country, whether by phone, Skype, email and social media. There have been more than a few truly incredible and inspirational ideas that took their first breaths during one of these mastermind sessions. In every mastermind session, no matter whom I’m talking to, no matter what medium we’re using to communicate and no matter where that other person is located in the country—the conversation always turns to future of the insurance industry.
Where do we see it going?
What will the landscape look like in 5, 10, 20 years?
How will we be selling?
But most importantly, how will we communicate?
Before we answer that question let’s get back to my conversation with Jason Cass. See I’m a big fan of Jason Cass. Like myself, he’s fueled by emotion and the desire to advance an industry we both love (Believe it or not that industry is insurance).
So Jason and I finally got to the “How will we communicate?” question and he said something I thought was very profound. He said, “Ryan… Young agents aren’t pushing the insurance industry forward into an era of new technology. They’re pulling the old timers