Common Standards Watch
I have written before about common standards, so I won’t go into a ton of detail here. But here is an update:
According to Education Week’s Curriculum Matters blog, 24 states have now adopted the standards.
The Kansas State Board of Education is to discuss them at this week’s board meeting, which starts Tuesday. A timeline for adoption hasn’t been set from what I read in the board meeting materials, which can be downloaded here. The material regarding common standards starts on page 37 of the pdf.
It looks like content committees will be meeting this month to suggest a few Kansas-flavored additions, such as the ones mentioned in the board materials, with final board approval of the standards on the board agenda at a later time. It will be interesting to see how the debate on common standards unfolds here in Kansas.
Here are my previous posts about common standards:
Common Standards: To Adopt or Not?
Subscribe to the comments for this postMaybe I’m a Runner After All
A few months back I wrote about how I couldn’t seem to run more than about 20 or 25 minutes straight, and decided to try to overcome that problem by looking for a 5K race to get ready for.
Since a 5K is 3.1 miles, finishing that would mean that I did go farther than I had before.
I did it this month. Perhaps not surprisingly since I have so far run mostly on my treadmill, I ended up running a few 5Ks all the way through on my treadmill, once in 34:11. As for the two races I entered, I ended up mostly running the courses, with a little walking thrown in. The first was June 5 in 38:46 and the second was June 26 in 39:39.
So now that I’ve done a few 5Ks, I find myself thinking about whether I should focus on running a faster 5K or just running farther.
Given my goals, which are to be fit and strong while pushing myself to do the best I can, I’m not sure running a lot faster is all that important to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be a speed demon. Still, I’d like to run my next 5K race in 35 minutes or less.
I’m leaning toward running farther, which is absolutely crazy and exciting, since when I started running in January, I never envisioned myself even thinking about a 10K or a half marathon. But I am thinking about it, even beginning to plan for it. How cool it would be to conquer 13.1 miles when less than a year ago, I had trouble conquering 5 minutes of running at one time.
You may wonder why I’m writing about running on a blog about parenting. It’s the same reason someone might write about another fitness activity or hobby. It’s something that helps me wind down and be a better parent. Plus, being active is setting a good example for my son.
I think parents with hobbies and/or who are physically active are less stressed after doing something, even for a half hour, that can either take their minds off or help them work through the problem of how to get the little one to stop biting or the fact their teenager is struggling in a specific subject at school or whatever.
So parents, happy running, or whatever your hobby is.
My last post on running: http://swktalk.com/parentscorner/i-have-runners-block/
Tool Designed to Help When Kids are Sick
The American Academy of Pediatrics has created a new online symptom checker for parents to help them decide whether they should take their child to the doctor.
While many parents would call their pediatrician’s office to describe symptoms and find out if a visit to the doctor is necessary, the symptom checker may be especially helpful for people who don’t have a regular doctor or when kids are sick after regular business hours.
Here’s a portion of an AP story about the offering, which is online or as an iPhone application:
Parents can click on an interactive link, and information about symptoms pops up along with links for treatment advice and when to call the doctor. The tool includes dosage tables by weight for common over-the-counter medicines, and images to help identify rashes and insect bites.
There are also first-aid illustrations.
The symptom checker is based on clinical protocols used by pediatricians and nurses nationwide and in Canada.
Check out the symptom checker here.
Designer Diapers
What will they think of next?
Here’s an AP story that came out this week:
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Procter & Gamble Co. is aiming to make disposable diapers fashionable.
Popular designer Cynthia Rowley has designed 11 styles of Pampers, including pastels, stripes, madras and ruffles. P&G says they’ll be offered in Target Corp. stores beginning in mid-July.
Jodi Allen, a P&G baby care vice president, says in a statement Wednesday that diaper performance comes first, but parents consider the look important, too.
Pampers is the No. 1 worldwide brand in sales for the Cincinnati-based consumer products maker that also has Tide detergent, Crest toothpaste and other brands.
Dallas-based competitor Kimberly-Clark Corp. last month launched U.S. sales of Huggies Jeans Diapers, giving babies’ bottoms a denim style for the summer.
I doubt my soon-to-be 3-year-old boy will be interested in these, but who knows how popular they’ll be. I guess summer is a good time to bring them out since babies’ and toddlers’ diapers are more likely to peak out when its shorts, skirts, dresses and swimsuit season.
Be Careful Out There: The Heat Is On
These past couple of weeks in southwest Kansas have been hot. I think there were only one or two days where highs in the upper 90s or in the 100s weren’t predicted during that time period. And with July just starting, the heat only promises to continue.
So I hope you’ll listen as I and others sound the warning to be careful out there.
Children and elderly people are at most risk for heat stroke and heat exhaustion, but it can happen to anyone. Drinking plenty of water, wearing sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, and staying inside during the heat of the day are just a few ways to avoid heat-related problems. A few others are listed here.
Another important reminder this summer: Do not leave your children in a vehicle for even a short time. I know it is a pain.
I went to get gas the other day after work and my nearly 3-year-old son was with me. The receipt wouldn’t print at the pump, so I had to go in to get it. I briefly considered leaving the windows down a little and leaving him in the car. I mean, how long could it take to get the printed receipt?
In the end, I decided to take him out of the car seat and bring him in the station with me. This was a big station, and a lot of trucks and cars were parked, so I really had no idea how long it would take. But I did know it was hot as heck outside and inside my vehicle. I decided it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Here’s more to back up that line of reasoning: An Associated Press story out today said 18 children have died after becoming stuck in hot vehicles since the beginning of the year, with eight reported deaths just since June 13.
From the AP story:
That’s the largest number of fatalities through the first half of a year since Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University, began tracking the data in the late 1990s.
Government and safety experts are telling parents that they never should leave children in an unattended vehicle or allow kids to play in cars and trucks. Many of the recent cases have involved children who climbed inside an unlocked vehicle on a hot day and then couldn’t get out.
“These really are good parents who love these kids who make a mistake that turns out to be fatal,” said David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The government’s highway safety agency issued a consumer advisory this week that included a warning for parents not to leave children unattended in or near a vehicle.
…
The deaths in June have caught the attention of safety advocates because July tends to be the most deadly month for children trapped in hot cars. With a week left in June, the number of deaths has topped the previous high of 17 fatalities from January to June 2009, according to Null’s data.
…
Children are particularly vulnerable because they have difficulty escaping on their own and their respiratory and circulatory systems can’t handle heat as well as adults.
Safety groups such as Kids and Cars and Safe Kids USA urge parents to check the back seat every time they exit the vehicle and to create a reminder system for themselves.
Some parents leave their cell phone or purse on the floor near the car seat to ensure they retrieve it along with the child. Others remind themselves by placing a stuffed animal in the car seat when the child isn’t using the seat and putting the toy in the front seat when the child is tucked in the car seat.
Links of Interest
Hyperthermia deaths of children in vehicles: http://ggweather.com/heat/index.htm
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.gov/
Kids and Cars: http://www.kidsandcars.org/
Safe Kids USA: http://www.safekids.org/