Ben Eats!

What education can learn from business

Corporate wellness programs are becoming very popular to reduce absenteeism, boost productivity and improve morale. According to survey results released in December, 2005 health promotion programs were being implemented by seventy-five percent of large employers, which is up from 2003 by almost twenty five percent. The increase in these programs suggests that they have been successful in reducing workplace stress and the negative consequences associated with that stress.

Although every job comes with a certain degree of stress, it has been well documented that many professionals in social service jobs (i.e. teachers, nurses, social workers) become emotionally exhausted due to the high degree of stress associated with their jobs. Freudenberger (1974) was one of the first people to write about this "burnout" which leads to a lack of energy and overall loss of sense of purpose and accomplishment. Clearly, schools need to provide supports to buffer stress in teachers.

A visit to almost any public elementary school will yield a sobering view of the current supports in place to buffer teacher stress. One of these supports includes "the teachers' lounge". If you've ever been in a teachers' lounge you will surely recall the mismatched chairs, fluorescent lighting, and hand-me-down coffee maker and microwave. The teachers' lounge is virtually a spa getaway.

It seems to me that for very little cost, school districts can at least spruce up the lounges so they are actually relaxing places to regroup between classes. In addition, I would like to see school districts take some of the initiative that the corporate world has taken to support wellness in their staff. How about weekly meditation workshops, subsidized gym or yoga memberships, even a healthy cooking workshop might be nice. The bottom line is that school districts must do more to support teachers so that they do not suffer burnout and lose their sense of purpose.

SOURCES: Bruce Kelley, Ph.D., practice leader for data services, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Minneapolis; Doug Evans, Ph.D., director, Center for Health Promotion Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Sept. 12, 2005, press release, RTI International; Dec. 6, 2005, press release, Watson Wyatt and National Business Group on Health; March 2006 issue brief, National Business Group on Health's Center for Prevention and Health Services, Ten Recommendations for Promoting Prevention. Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159-165.

Children and Teachers Being Left Behind

No Child Left Behind. Now, how can anyone argue with legislation that promises to take care of all children? For one thing, calling this legislation No Child Left Behind [NCLB] is the equivalent of calling the devil, Cool Uncle Lucifer. In addition, NCLB is very one-dimensional. It is so hinged on high stakes testing that it ignores other important variables that impact student achievement. In fact, contextual variables are barely recognized as important and teachers are only considered with respect to their credentials. To be sure, teachers should have the appropriate credentials. On the other hand, anyone who has ever come in contact with another person who is supposedly brilliant, but at the same time, a complete ass, should know that teaching credentials are not the end all of what it takes to be an effective teacher.
Let's face it, smart people can make it through a teacher education program, finish with an impressive G.P.A. and still be an ineffective teacher. Why? Well, because to be a good teacher you also need a high degree of emotional intelligence. Of course, we don't test for emotional intelligence [EI]. And, whether or not EI can be taught is an empirical question which has not been sufficiently answered yet. Still, if we are being honest about teachers who make a difference, I don't believe the quality of their transcript is what we would be reflecting upon.
I believe this problem is in part fueled by our preference for all things masculine. In spite of dramatic gains lead by the feminist movement, occupations that are considered "female" are still undervalued. Teaching is no exception here. It is a profession where you need to be both highly qualified in terms of content and highly adept at listening, understanding, and adapting your methods to meet the needs of a wide range of student needs. NCLB values the content knowledge part but not so much the interpersonal EI side. Perhaps it is because the EI aspect of teaching is considered "feminine". And, in our society, it is difficult to be considered both professionally competent and feminine at the same time.

Ben's Pumpkin Patch Pics

Chain letters still? C'mon ladies

I just can't take it anymore. How is it that my 30 something friends, all independent, intelligent women still seem to fall for this crap. Today, I opened my e-mail and once again was greeted by a forwarded letter, complete with the 10+ headings that none of the previous "forwarders" had bothered to clean up. It was the story of some woman whose son died, blah, blah, blah... Now, I am not heartless, but give me a freakin break. The sender of this message apparently thinks that I not only have time to read this crap, but that I believe it and will send it to 10 more people. I usually just straight up delete these messages without even reading them. If I believed what these messages claim, at this point I have likely squashed the hopes and dreams of countless women as they now will not have the good fortune promised to them since I "broke the chain".
Considering that all their lives remain miserable you would think that they would either stop believing these e-mails work. Or, at least begin to suspect that someone is breaking the chain. So, today I made my Arianna Huffington move of fearlessness -- I "replied to all" with the following message,
"You have to stop falling for these chain letters.
Love,
Tab

p.s. please forward this to 10 other crack head mommies who insist on continuing to forward chain letters"

Less than 10 minutes later I recieved a reply from a stay at home mom who I particularly adore. It said simply, "I am bored :-((((((".

I felt bad. Despite the colon, dash, end paren that got on my nerves a bit, I couldn't help think that some of my formerly strong and fearless friends are losing themselves to motherhood. My new fearless move is going to be making an effort to reach out to those friends and help to fill the void currently being filled with crappy chain letters with the friendship that helped us all become the powerful women we are today.

Mark Foley makes Ben angry

Ben is completely pissed that the damn Republicans have once again drawn a creepy parallel between gay men and being a pervert. It is bad enough that Mark Foley checks himself into rehab following the discovery of his innappropriate behavior. If I were an alcoholic I would be angry at this association. But, to compound the insult he has chosen this time to come out as being gay -- just so typical.
I have another theory. My theory involves Foley as a man with a lifelong identity crisis precipitated by having to deny his true self to rise to power in the Republican Party. As he became comfortable in his seat of power he became more careless in covering his creepy tracks. However, assuming he is a normal gay man, all of this could have been avoided if he could have just chosen to be true to himself even if that meant not rising to power in the Republican Party. On the other hand, if he is just a perv -- which is how I am inclined to view him -- how about if he doesn't try to associate himself with the gay community. Which, is NOT, a community of men who are sexual predators targeting young boys.