education

He Named Me Malala #withMalala

October 9, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Imagine you’re 15 years old. Now imagine you’re being targeted by the Taliban for daring to speak out about the right for all girls to be educated. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head when gunmen opened fire on her and her friends’ school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Today, on the third anniversary of the attack on Malala and her school mates, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the movie “He Named Me Malala” is released nationwide to the public to tell the story of Malala and her role as a leading campaigner for the rights of children worldwide.

Growing up in the United States, it’s hard for me to fathom that educating girls is an issue. How can people think that educating a woman makes her dangerous? It’s medieval thinking that makes me eternally grateful for the education I have received, and that I continue to take part in as part of my own personal growth, and it motivates me to act.

As a Global Goals Champion for the United Nations, the release of “He Named Me Malala” is in sync with Goal 4 of the 17 Goals they announced at the end of September. These goals are the focus over the next 15 years, with the UN hoping to have made significant progress in achieving them by 2030.

The lack of access to quality education, especially among the poorest and among girls, prevents millions of people from escaping the cycle of extreme poverty around the world.

3 Facts to Know:

124 million children who could be in elementary, middle, or high school aren’t in school
More than half of children who have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 50% of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.
Children in the poorest households are 4 times as likely to be out of school as children in the richest households.

Malala captured the world’s attention by standing up for what she believes.

She certainly captured mine, and I have been following her story since the day her attack became news. After healing from her injuries, Malala hasn’t taken her survival for granted and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund. Documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us a glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.

“It’s a combination of Ziauddin and Toor Pekai that has created this incredible girl,” the director says. “Ziauddin obviously has a close relationship with Malala. He has that wonderful quote: ‘Don’t ask me what I did. Ask me what I didn’t do. I didn’t clip her wings.’ And there’s that special moment when she’s born and he says to her, you’re equal to all the men that are on the family tree. But I also believe Toor Pekai is where Malala gets her moral strength and her faith.”

I cannot imagine how this young woman feels, or where she finds the energy to do all she does, but I can learn from her. Malala reminds us that we can all be change agents, we just have to listen to our courage and be motivated to act. Wisdom knows no age. During a recent call with Malala, the Nobel Peace Prize winner reminded me of something I have always found to be true: There are no limits to what kids can do.

Join me this weekend when I continue with part two of my “He Named Me Malala” series.

Watch the trailer for “He Named Me Malala”
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Follow the journey of Malala and of “He Named Me Malala”
Twitter: @malalafund @foxsearchlight
Hashtags: #HeNamedMeMalala #withMalala
Instagram: @malalafund
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MalalaFund
https://www.facebook.com/HeNamedMeMalala
Malala Fund URL: Malala.org
Film URL: HeNamedMeMalala.com

Disclosure: This was not a sponsored post.

Staying organized when taking online classes {Sponsored}

June 4, 2013 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Most people don’t know I’ve taken quite a few distance education classes, and continue to take them. They have been my portal to extending my educational portfolio and to fulfill my academia desires. Truth be told, I could be a professional student, that’s how much I love absorbing knowledge.

While distance education can seem daunting for some, easy for others, if you’re not organized, you’ll muck things up. Deadlines are just as firm as if you were in a traditional setting and grades will suffer if you procrastinate. Recently, Student Advisor reached out to me to share how I stayed organized when taking distance education classes to make sure you’re performing at the best of your ability, as well as staying sane. These are what I learned after several years of intense coursework, and I stick to them to this day when taking classes. They are all based on experience — good and bad. After all, it wouldn’t be a proper college course if you didn’t have a few days where you learned how difficult the next day is after staying up all night to finish a paper.

For more information about MOOCs, please visit StudentAdvisor.com. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I’m an Educational Heretic

May 1, 2010 by Lisa Leave a Comment

There are too many people in college. There. I said it. A bold statement, but true. I guess I am writing this out of aggravation, frustration and good ole irritation.

I have had this discussion with so many people that have validated my thoughts. When enough proof is shoved in front of my face to cause love-hate relationship with today’s mindset, it’s time to talk. It used to be that parents wanted better for their children. They didn’t want them to work as hard. So, they struggled to help pay for college, pushed their kids to do well in school and were able to glow from the fruits of their successes. Now, the thought is that if you don’t attend college, you won’t succeed. However, it’s creating a nation of over-educated, debt-burdened professional students that have no real life work experience and no idea where they are going next. We won’t even go into the subject of whether or not all these kids should be in college, but suffice it to say I don’t think they all need to be. Trade schools are a great alternative and seems more and more underutilized.

There is one thing they do know: minimum wage doesn’t pay for $100k in student loans. And while all these kids come out of college armed with these degrees, the fact is there may be some fields where we already have too many people working in a specific field. More people just means less wages to go around. The pie doesn’t get bigger, the pieces just get smaller.

So we may very well find ourselves approaching a fork in the road: do we continue this relentless push for more bachelors and masters degrees for our kids or do we redefine what it means to be educated?

Maybe it’s time we started…

Literacy is a forgotten word…

December 7, 2009 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Not long after this post is up and being read, I will be at the local elementary school reading with the Literacy Council. It’s something that is near and dear to my heart. I am a strong believer in literacy and that you should never stop learning. It keeps our brains healthy and active, which is very important in warding off mental deterioration as we get older.

What do I do with our literacy council? I show up at 8am and have a child that I am designated to read with all school year. We pick out a book, sit in the cafeteria and read it several times over, working on comprehension, pronunciation, etc. Then I quiz on the content of the book we have just read. If I feel like they are able to answer my questions well enough we take an AR (Accelerated Reader) quiz.

People don’t realize the need for volunteers to do this exact sort of thing. School systems everywhere are strapped for funding and what we do is necessary.

Why?

Because no matter how much a teacher gets done during the school day, if it is not being reinforced at home, then there are problems. So many children don’t receive the attention they need at home regarding homework. There is less and less emphasis on literacy, reading and doing well in school.

Also, with the End of Grade testing that students are subjected to, they are forced to move as quickly from one subject to the next as quickly as possible. What was once an elementary school curriculum is now best thought of as a funnel team competition with students guzzling down as much of the learning objectives as they can, as quickly as they can. There is little room for practice and repetition that is necessary for children to be successful

And since children seem to get less and less practice, reinforcement, and direction at home, the school has to take over a quasi-parental role hoping to make students and parents more accountable for their education. This is a role which schools are simply not equipped to handle. This is something we all need to keep in mind when we think about what schools can/should provide to their students. Think of the extensions to this role: guidance counseling, sex education, and the like. In my mind, these are all areas where the parent’s views should be paramount. But if the parents are too reluctant/uncomfortable in doing their job, who else is left to do it? Because the alternative is to not provide any guidance to these children and instead of celebrating the kids who do well, we’d bemoan all of the kids doing poorly because their parents didn’t care enough or are too scared to do their jobs as parents – to do the right thing.

But in the meantime, I’ll keep volunteering and I’ll keep working with kids. And I’ll do it one kid at a time.

Education Beyond College

September 8, 2009 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Education should not be left when we leave school. I am of the opinion that education should be ongoing and stimulating. For example, I am a walking encyclopedia of useless facts. Well, they can be pretty useless until someone has a question. Most of the time, I am able to help them find an answer. This could be why my phone rings non-stop some days…

Reading is one way to educate yourself. I can think of no other way to learn new things that I personally like best. However, I also realize that not everyone is a reader. Plenty of people just don’t have the desire, inclination, nor time to read. What are their options?

Books on tape? I love them. We use them on long road trips. You can rent them from the library, buy them online, or at any bookstore. There are also a lot of great deals to be had. If you don’t want to do that, you can download them from iTunes for a nominal fee. Sometimes there are freebies. I have found quite a few gems this way.

What are other things you can do to expand your mind? First, and most important, ignore anything Timothy Leary ever said. Second, go out of your comfort zone.

Museums are great places to expand your knowledge. I am not just talking about an art museum. Try your local history museum. Visit a gallery. You don’t have to purchase anything, but sometimes you can find real gems for a relatively small investment.

What about those of us who are more hands on? If you have a science museum that is close by, go visit it. Get your hands dirty. Aquariums are great as well. Personally, I love local craft fairs/shows. You get to meet the artists, learn about their work and most of their time there are hands on exhibits teaching their techniques.

Independent and foreign movies are fabulous and you can really immerse yourself in another

culture. Check to see if your town has a theater showing indies or art house films. However, if XXX is on the marquee, I’m not quite sure that is the direction you want to take.