OPPORTUNITY

By Diane Forrest

My life has certainly not been a very easy one.  In 1985 I dropped out of nursing school because I "fell in love" got married and got pregnant a month later.  At the time I was young stupid and thought that was the life I wanted.  8 months later I was separated, jobless and about to give birth. Alone.  I thought that was the worst time in my life.   I moved home with my mother and father, and my baby boy, returned to school, became involved in many activities, ended up being the class president at my college, class president in my nursing class, started writing on my college paper, even won an award.  Life was good.  I finished school and got one of the few jobs available at the local hospital.  I moved out on my on, I met a new man, I worked two jobs I was very blessed.  Until five months after I was married, my husband got hurt on the job, ending up being paralyzed.  A year later, I lost my job due to downsizing.  I quickly found another job, but had to resign when my husband could no longer be left at home on his own.  We had no money, no jobs, and bills piling up.

Then.  My husband got a settlement from his injury, we were able to put a down payment on our own home, and the worker's comp insurance company began paying me to take care of him every day.  Things were good again.  My husbands condition deteriorated, he could not get the medical and equipment he needed, was forced to stay in the bed for three years – then sepsis took his life in 2010.  There I was again, no job, no money, alone.  I began writing on this blog to occupy my mind, and fill my days with knowledge and in the process I had hoped to educate others as well.  I met some new friends online, and rekindled some old friendships.  Things began to improve again until I lost another friend.  We had many conversations about his life and experiences that I found very fascinating and interesting.  I had mentioned several times to him that I would like to put his story on paper.  He laughed at me, didn’t think it would hold any interest to anyone.  I don't know if it will or won't, but I’m at least gonna give it a try.  Like they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I hope that this difficult time in my life will produce another opportunity, so I will be spending some time working on that, but I won't be far away from you guys.

What opportunities have you had during difficult times?  Let us know in the comment section below, and leave a comment if you have any other questions for me.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

By Diane Forrest

Today is a day that has been set aside to support public education.  It is not an official day as of yet, but plans are in the works to make it a national day.  According to http://www.change.org/petitions/officially-declare-july-30th-national-support-public-education-day, the reason this day was picked was because Christopher Janotta, petition organizer, wanted to explain the choice of July 30th for this day, a date that may seem unusual to some because it falls in the summer when most schools are not in attendance. However, part of the problem with our public education system is just that: out of sight, out of mind. If students aren't in school, there is no point worrying about it, right? This is a mindset we must fight to overcome. The fight to improve public education shouldn't take a summer break, just as, contrary to popular belief; many teachers don't take a summer break. In fact, lawmakers often use the times when teachers and the public aren't focusing on education (holiday breaks, for example) to slide legislation by while nobody is paying attention.

The petition states that our education system is mired in a national crisis. The only solutions offered thus far by those making the decisions have penalized teachers, students, and society. Firing teachers, cutting school budgets, creating larger class sizes for students, and putting other punitive measures into effect is not the answer. Instead, success must be based on making education the number one priority, creating a culture of respect for education and teachers, and by realizing that as society has evolved, so must the education system.

If appropriate funding for our schools is not provided, if reforms are based on political sound bites rather than on solid research, and if teachers are left out of the decision making process while their careers are held hostage by factors over which they have little control, our public education system will surely fail. On the other hand, through the use of American ingenuity--upon which our nation was built--we can create a nation of future leaders that will bring this country to levels of prosperity never seen before.

Much as our founding fathers did when the time was right, we must come together as Americans--not Democrats or Republicans, unionized workers or non-unionized workers, those in office or those seeking office--but as Americans to do what is right for America. If our founding fathers had merely accepted things as they were and tried living under the tyranny of a king while expecting society to adjust, the great American experiment of democracy would never have come to fruition. Had those who started the civil rights movement simply shrugged their shoulders and said, "The government says this is the right way to do things, so what can we do?" President Obama would not currently be sitting at the helm in a position to lead our country back to prosperity.

America can no longer accept what is happening with its education system. When something is inherently wrong, it must be corrected by allowing all parties to come together to do what is right. Please help us make this happen by declaring July 30th National Support Public Education Day and by supporting our efforts to make America's public education system meet the real needs of every child no matter where he or she might live or what his or her circumstances might be.

To help make this day a reality, and show your support for public education, click on this site, and sign the petition. 

 http://www.change.org/petitions/officially-declare-july-30th-national-support-public-education-day

[Photos from Google] 

Parental Controls

If it were but that simple.
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By Terry Orr

We have an awesome and challenging responsibility in providing our children with the right tools, guidance, love, respect, understanding and leadership to grow up to be the best they can be and to learn the important skills to help them raise their own children later in life.  The bad news – our challenges grow nearly every day and it is difficult to fully understand them and take the corrective measures needed. The good news – there are significant resources available to help us. We must be proactive.

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Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computer and video games, mobile phones and software. Parental controls fall into roughly four categories, content filters, which limit access to age appropriate content, usage controls, which constrain the usage of these devices such as placing time-limits on usage or forbidding certain types of usage, computer usage management tools, which allow parents to enforce learning time into child computing time, and monitoring, which can track location and activity when using the devices. (Wikipedia)

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The Parent Coach Plan offers the following regarding Parent Responsibilities.

Nobody ever said that children were easy to teach your child morals and they don't come with guidelines or instructions, and they certainly don't come with a "pause" button.  What they do come with is a crucial set of physical and emotional needs that must be met. Failure of the parents to meet these specific needs can have wide-ranging and long-lasting negative effects.

The following outline provides eight essential responsibilities that parents must adhere to in order to foster their child's physical and/or emotional well-being:

1. Provide an environment that is SAFE;
2. Provide your child with BASIC NEEDS;
3. Provide your child with SELF-ESTEEM NEEDS;
4. Teach your child MORALS and VALUES;
5. Develop MUTUAL RESPECT with your child;
6. Provide DISCIPLINE which is effective and appropriate
7. Involve yourself in your child's EDUCATION; and
8. Get to KNOW YOUR CHILD.

For additional information on parent responsibilities, please visit http://www.parentcoachplan.com/article3.php.

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Parental Controls for Streaming Video (just another opportunity for us parent to over come)

Streaming video online is a wonderful and convenient way to watch all your favorite shows and movies – and it’s far less expensive than cable. Unfortunately, if you’re a parent, these services don’t often provide safeguard measures to block certain content from your children.

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Bottom line - we as parents, grandparents, caregivers and or adults must set the example for our young people.

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