The Career Path to Pro Tennis Often Passes High School By

The Career Path to Pro Tennis Often Passes High School By By DAVID V. JOHNSON, NYTimes

Although alternative schooling is not new to junior athletics, tennis is perhaps the only sport whose full participation requires it because of year-round competition and travel.

One Man’s Trash ...

One Man’s Trash ... By KATE MURPHY, NYTimes

To Dan Phillips, who constructs low-income housing in a town in East Texas, almost anything discarded and durable is potential building material.
Slide Show: The Recycled Houses

Opinion: What Should Colleges Teach?

What Should Colleges Teach? Part 1 by Stanley Fish, NYTimes, 08/24/09

A few years ago, when I was grading papers for a graduate literature course, I became alarmed at the inability of my students to write a clean English sentence. They could manage for about six words and then, almost invariably, the syntax (and everything else) fell apart. I became even more alarmed when I remembered that these same students were instructors in the college’s composition program. What, I wondered, could possibly be going on in their courses?

What Should Colleges Teach? Part 2 by Stanley Fish, NYTimes, 08/31/09

If the effect of instruction is to make students fear that they are walking through a minefield of error and that at any moment they are going to step on something that will wound them, the odds of their learning anything are small . . .

A Sense of Place

A Sense of Place
Students expressed their higher-ed experience through images of where they have been, and where they are. The common theme: broadening horizons. NYTimes Slide Show

Edward M. Kennedy, 1932 - 2009

Edward M. Kennedy, 1932 - 2009

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts and a member of one of the country's most influential political families, was one of the most effective senators in American history. NYTimes Video.

SAT Scores Steady for Class of ’09

SAT Scores Steady for Class of ’09 By SAM DILLON, NYTimes

Average SAT scores in reading and writing declined by one point this year, while math scores held steady, according to a report on the high school class of 2009 released Tuesday by the College Board.

Founder of Kaplan Test Prep Centers, Dead at 90

exerpted from THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) -- The founder of the Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Centers Ltd., the nation's first test preparation company, has died. He was 90.

Kaplan, rejected from medical school, believed that students should have access to higher education based on their capabilities, not connections. He began Kaplan centers to help students with SAT and other admissions tests.

Harvard, Princeton top U.S. News & World Report college rankings again

Harvard, Princeton top U.S. News & World Report college rankings again

Perennial contenders Harvard and Princeton share the top spot in the latest edition of the influential U.S. News & World Report university rankings. This year the Ivy League rivals are followed by No. 3 Yale and a four-way tie for No. 4: Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania. For more info, see U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

I hear Silicon Valley singing!

I hear Silicon Valley proudly singing,
The varied carols I hear--

I hear the actor singing as if his heart would break,
The orchestra playing scales before they perform,
The nervous singer practicing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before an intense baseball game.
The novice magician concentrating as beads of sweat drip down his face while whispering,
"Oh God please work," hoping to leave his audience flabbergasted.
The director screaming while the cast mumble their lines and stumble over their own feet,
The dancer flying across the stage,
The artist quietly humming as he brushes oil paint onto canvas,
The high school student surreptitiously filling her notebooks with anime doodles.
The poet penning a new poem in her moleskin journal.
The writer scribbling a new chapter on a yellow legal pad,
The blogger typing feverishly til dawn.

I hear bankers chant the advantages of banking at their bank.
The tellers happily counting out cash into a neat fan of bills,
The bank officers singing to other peoples' credit cards,
The Fed Chairman shouting out recovery orders.

I hear a cashier singing while clicking at the buttons on the cash register,
ready to return the proper amount of change to the customer
The clerk stealthily advising a family to purchase something they don't need
so he can earn a reward,
The couple turning away in disgust from an uncooperative dealer mocking,
“Who is the alpha-dog of your marriage?”
The ethical salesman singing as he earns his commission.

I hear the chef exasperatingly proclaiming his cooking assistants incompetent,
while they mumble hurried apologies in broken English.
The baker sighing as she pulls crisp garlic bread from the oven.
The big sister whistling "Happy Birthday" as she ices the cake for hr little brother,
The chef sizzling as he sautés the shrimp,
The diners applauding the teppan-yaki chef's flashing knives,
The mother whistling her "This is what's for dinner" tune as the oven dings,
The short-order cook shouting orders to other line cooks while bacon sizzles on a grill,
The teenage cook grunting as he perfectly spins and tosses the pizza,
The waiters singing impatiently while asking their customers for their orders,
The waitress laughing as she refills the bottomless cups of coffee.

I hear the architect trilling as she reviews the blueprints,
The carpenter rapping as he quickly nails the wood to the roof,
The construction worker humming a mellow tune as he expertly plants explosives
and quickly flashes the OK signal for demolition,
The electrician singing as he wonders whether to give us electricity or not after his pay cut.

I hear the frightening dentist laughing as he quickly pulls the infected tooth of a miserable child,
The dental hygienist’s laser buzzing as she cleans plaque off of teeth and gums,
The orthodontist clattering his tools as he glues braces on my teeth,
A dental lab technician as she molds false teeth for her clients,
The prosthodontist humming as he replaces a tooth.

I hear the cardiologist whistles as he replaces a disease heart.
The neurologist sighing with relief as he removes a tumor with a laser,
The surgical team whispering while reviewing tools at the beginning of kidney transplant,
Emergency room nurses singing calmly to assure their hysterical patients.
The hospital workers staring in awe at a mob of angry elderly protesting on health care outside
of the hospital doors.

I hear the Apple CEO serenely serenading the press corps as he introduces the latest iPhone.
The R & D engineers buzzing with joy as they construct a new processor,
The hardware engineers singing quietly while pecks away on their new MacBook Airs,
The software engineers clacking on their keyboards as they generate endless streams of code,
The test engineers cheering as they break the computer,
The project managers clucking as they text on their BlackBerries.
The assemblers quickly clicking ICs into motherboards,
An engineer chattering about the newest app as he drives his bored children school.

I hear the Crayola workers quickly slipping fresh crayons into cardboard boxes,
The factory worker whirling as they make random gears,
The fashion designer bopping to her iPod as she sketches a hot design on a tablecloth,
The fire scorching the firefighter as he rescues a trapped resident.

I hear the call of fast food:
The McDonalds cashier loudly calling to the family of four to pick up 2 Happy Meals
and two number 1 meals (Big Mac),
The Carl's Junior cook flipping burgers on his hot grill.
The Burger King supervisor singing her jingle as she quickly plops a bag of fries
and burger on a tray while at the same filling a large cup of Sprite
(It's like she has six arms!),
The KFC manager spitting out orders to deep fry more chicken,
as the cashier clinks coins, fumbling to change the customer's twenty dollar bill.

I hear the garbage man rapping along with the radio as he works the controls to clamp the bin,
lift it up, and dump our repulsive garbage into his truck,
The recycling driver's truck rumbling through the streets while everyone else is asleep.

I hear the gardener wailing the blues as he blows leaves and glass clippings into a neat pile,
The landscaper clipping to the beat as he uproots the weeds and plants tulips,
The farmer workers plucking fruit and picking vegetables up & down a valley-guitar.

I hear a hair stylist gasping as she accidentally shaves someone bald.

I hear the school janitor whistling as he vacuums the classrooms,
The gym janitor's dry mop going squiggy! squiggy! as he dries the basketball court
during half-time,
The housecleaner moaning as she drops a bucket of dirty water on the floor she just cleaned.
The lab janitor tisking disgustedly as he cleans up some failed experiments,
The miserable hotel maid muttering as she slowly cleans the smelly toilets.

I hear the boots of the postal workers, clomping steadily and calmly through all storms and heat:
The letter carrier happily singing as he plops a big box onto the front porch
The mail delivery person yelling HELP while being chased by a group of angry dogs,
A lost store delivery person cussing to himself, as he tries to deliver the furniture
to the right house.

I hear the librarian chirping as she instantaneously finds the book that I had been looking for,
The hapless page crying out in disbelief as he accidentally pushes over 100 shelves of books,
The children shrieking with laughter at the puppets’ antics during the story hour,
The mother reading her children a bedtime story.

I hear people playing, crowing: CHECKMATE! PUNG! GOALLLLLLL!!!!

I hear parents scolding their children over and over again to stop playing video games
and start studying NOW!
You will hear your parents crying with love and pride at your graduation ceremonies.

I hear the pilot telling people to buckle their seat belt,
The flight attendants giving safety instructions

I hear the plumber’s apprentice yelling TURN OFF THE MAIN! as he tries to fix a leaky faucet,
The journeyman quietly singing as replaces a PVC valve,
The master murmuring as he deciphers the HVAC schematics.

I hear the anxious police officer calling the dispatcher reporting on a crime scene,
The detective snapping handcuffs around the wrists of a felon,
The traffic cop chuckling as he spots the last speeder of his shift,
The prison guard stomping around as he glares at the people behind bars,

I hear the President speaking about making the world a better place.

I hear the voices of families, resonating throughout the hallways of the houses,
as they look at bedrooms, assess schools, gauge commutes, make counter-offers,
hurry and wait, sign up and pay down, pack and unpack, say good-byes and hellos,
The real estate agent gurgling delightedly as she sells another home,
(Late that night, I hear my brother snoring faintly in the next room ‘cuz now I have my own!)

I hear the voices of television reporters jabbering away on all of the TV sets
in my apartment building:
The TV anchor torturing an anxious person with questions,
The sports reporters racing through the game results,
The excited (and exhausted) field correspondent reporting LIVE!

I hear the ecologist dreaming aloud about reducing carbon footprints.

I hear the taxi driver belt out a Chinese song as he races to pick up his next fare.

We hear the one voice of our teachers, exhorting us to STUDY!
The Algebra teacher happily calling her students' names as she hands back their papers,
The Chinese teacher chanting lessons and crafting beauty out of plain paper,
The English teacher telling stories, stories, and more stories,
The friendly teacher teaching children about world history,
The math teachers demanding their students to show their work,
The squeaky wheel turning as the art teacher shows the class how to build a pot,
The basket coach blowing his whistle, signaling a break,
The tutors droning on as they force knowledge into their students' reluctant minds,
The US History teacher quizzing her students on names, dates, places, and ideas.

I hear the undertaker praying as he buries the dead.

I hear the veterinarian singing cheerfully while doing check-ups for pets.

I hear the concerned voices of the San Francisco Zoo's trainers struggling to maintain control
of a young bear's temper-tantrum,

From day to day, labor is upon them - at night the party of young fellows and fellas,
robust, friendly,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

The song of Silicon Valley echoes everywhere,
each job like a single cog in the clock, clicking away in harmony.



Inspired by Walt Whitman; extended by the Shareworld 2009 Summer Camp Students:
Contributors: Amy Cheng, Andy Cheng, Annie Cheng, Chris Chao, Alan Chien, Kiersten Chuc, Teresa Chuang, Julia Huang, Johnny Liu, Darren Ma, Patrick Wang, Angela Yung, Illina Yang, Bill Zhang, Jessica Zhao, Anton Zheng, Michael Zheng. Edited by Jennifer Gagliardi

A Century of Character-Building and Games

A Century of Character-Building and Games By ROBIN FINN, NYTimes
At Lake Delaware in the Catskills, campers get heavy doses of sports, military drill and church. Devoted alumni are returning for its centennial.

• Slide Show: Summer Camp Centennial
• More Summer Rituals »

King Tut Returns to San Francisco!

King Tut Returns to San Francisco!

More than 3,000 years after his reign, and 30 years after the original exhibition opened in San Francisco, Tutankhamun, ancient Egypt’s celebrated “boy king,” returns to the de Young Museum. In the summer of 2009 the de Young presents Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, a glorious exhibition of over 130 outstanding works from the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as those of his royal predecessors, his family, and court officials.

On view from June 27, 2009, through March 28, 2010 at the de Young, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs provides insight into the life of Tutankhamun and other royals of the 18th Dynasty (1555–1305 BC). All of the treasures in the exhibition are more than 3,000 years old.

Women on the Verge of the Law: From Anita Hill to Sonia Sotomayor

Women on the Verge of the Law: From Anita Hill to Sonia Sotomayor By JILL ABRAMSON, NYTimes
A few things in Congress have changed. But when Judge Sotomayor took her seat across from the Senate Judiciary Committee, there were unmistakable echoes of 1991.

• Graphic: One Panel, Two Hearings
• Times Topics: Sonia Sotomayor

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Student Loan quiz

Education Life Your Story

Graphic: Open-Book Test Want a student loan? Just answer 15 easy questions.

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Exchange Students

Education Life Your Story

Graphic: Exchange Students
Statistics on foreign students in American campuses and American students studying abroad.

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Blackboard

Education Life Your Story

Blackboard

• Comb Your Hair (Boys) and Smile (Girls) A professor wonders whether the well-documented “beauty premium/penalty” applies to grade-point average.
• Nittany in a Bottle Capturing the essence of the quad in perfume bottles.
• Just Following Orders: An Evil Essay Eliot Schrefer’s goal was to write an SAT essay that was perfect but evil.
• Scoring The Essay Question; Perfect's New Profile, Warts and All (September 3, 2006)
• High School Seniors Weak In Math and Science Tests (August 20, 2003)

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: College Guide Books

Education Life Your Story

A Guide to the Guides By CHARLES MCGRATH
How to job-hunt in haiku, fend off “fego” and succeed in college (drink lots of water).

• The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen
• The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education by Maya Frost
• Unlock Your Educational Potential: What Every Student Needs to Know to Succeed! by Brian R. and Jeffrey D. Haig
• You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path From Chaos to Career by Katharine Brooks

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Postgrad Spending

Education Life Your Story

Postgrad Spending

Up to Their Ears in Debt By SAMANTHA STAINBURN
The bottom line for recession refugees: grad school and debt. The assumption is that students have a nest egg or are reimbursed by employers. Outdated, you say?

• Student-Debt Subtractors
• Grad School Snapshot

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Cribs

Education Life Your Story

Cribs Living/Learning

Second Home for First-Gens By DANA JENNINGS
A dorm where first-generation students can find a new family, and future.

• High School as New Frontier
• First-Gen Friendly

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: ‘Test Optional’

Education Life Your Story

The Other Side of ‘Test Optional’ By LYNN O’SHAUGHNESSY, NYTimes
Dropping the score requirement can make a college look good.

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Career

Education Life Your Story

Career

So You Want to Be a Teacher for America? By CECILIA CAPUZZI SIMON
How a 50-year-old banker turned relentless determination into relentless pursuit. When Career Switching . . .

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Film Studies

Education Life Your Story

INTERACTIVE FEATURE: Pop Quiz Film Studies
Film studies spans the technical (think three-point lighting) and theoretical (think dialectical montage). But it’s summer, so this test is for fun.

NYTimes EdLife Summer 2009: Trendspotting

Education Life Your Story

Trendspotting

• What’s in Your Locker? What students stash in their cubbyholes at college, high school and below. Text by Amanda M. Fairbanks