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Showing posts from January, 2022

Logging community service hours can be a struggle -- especially during a pandemic

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My eleventh grader needs to earn some community service hours. She needs them to stay active in several honor societies. Plus, she needs them to be competitive among her peers this fall when she begins applying to colleges and for scholarships. In a 2018  Forbes  article , writer Derek Newton reported on a survey of college admissions officers and the value they place on community service.  "Fortunately, a new survey of college admissions officers and staff shows that t argeted community service may be a shortcut to scoring college admission or serve as a powerful tie-breaker among competitive applicants," Newton wrote. Of late, I have been questioning the equity of service hour requirements and expectations. Are they fair? I've also been beating myself up a bit for failing to be a better example when it comes to serving in the community. Perhaps if I did more community service, and did it more consistently, then my daughter would see it as a natural part of our family

Remembering the Taste of Childhood: A Poem about Government Cheese

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I wouldn't consider myself a cheese lover. But I do like cheese, especially on pizza and macaroni and cheese and pasta and gouda on crackers and cheesecake and ... Ok, maybe I am a cheese lover! Today is National Cheese Lover's Day. In recognition of this arguably insignificant but quirky day, I am sharing a poem I wrote a few years back. It's about the first cheese I actually remember. Those cardboard boxes had a special spot in our refrigerator! Comment below with your favorite cheese memory! Interested in the history of government cheese? Check out this article at History.com:   How the US Ended Up With Warehouses Full of 'Government Cheese'