Alternative Continuing Education

Since Daniel and I have been married, there have been several occasions in which we have chosen to take classes together for fun that involve learning new things. Here is a list of the classes we have done together:

This weekend we took a Handgun Safety Course.

About a year ago, we took a Tiling Class - this has come in very handy for various renovations around our house.

About 3 years ago, we were able to get our SCUBA certification in Madang, Papua New Guinea. This was lots of fun and I overcame a fear of "breathing" under water.

Four years ago was an outdoor rock climbing course at Fall Creek Falls State Park. This was a blast. We already were in the habit of taken friends and family rappelling... maybe some day we will add top roping...

Prior to that was a Motorcycle Safety Course (Daniel took this one before me and then we decided I should take it so that I could operate our motorcycle if I needed). This allowed me to get my motor cycle license.

All of these experiences have been very enjoyable and have added to our personal hobbies as well as allowing us to experience new things together. We are considering making an effort to learn one new thing each year as a couple. Any suggestions???

The Other Inconvenient Truth per Ernie Schenck

In the March/April 2007 issue of Communication Arts Magazine, in the advertising column, Ernie Schenck warns about the war on creativity in our culture. This is an article that I would highly recommend that you read. 

The education system in the US is going to pot. Every time you see a comparison of grade scores from around the world, US children continue to lag behind in English, Math and Science. They are even further behind in Reasoning/Problem Solving.

I remember back to ten years ago when I was in high school taking the ACT and how everyone was deathly afraid of the Reasoning part of the test. This is because we were not trained to be thinkers and problem solvers. I was one of the few to score relatively high in this area.

What will happen in the next 10 years as less and less students come out of the American education system less and less prepared? Who will come up with new inventions and solve our world's problems? Will there be anyone who knows how to truly be creative or will they continue to insist on taking ideas from others and recylcing them as their own? There are days that I worry tremendously about the future of this country because it will always rest on the shoulders of the generations to come...