Picture this. Your district supervisor walks through the door ten minutes before classes are to begin for the day, requesting an on-the-spot inspection tour to see how you manage stress in school. You rise from your desk and lead the way confidently.

Stepping out of the office, you see halls flowing smoothly with students. You hear amiable voices on the air, and feel a comfortable peace. Despite the smile tugging forcibly at the corners of your mouth, you maintain dignity as you lead the supervisor down the hall. At each room, you pause, open the door, and present a serene atmosphere. You don’t even hesitate at the bathrooms, certain that not one of the five senses will be offended.

You’re in a dream, right?

No, it is reality – the kind of reality I learned to create when I myself had the privilege of serving as a principal, and managing stress in school.

Breakthrough Ways to Manage Stress in Schools

Principals should manage stress in schools, but how can they? With drugs, weapons, and a host of more common stressors, how can you be expected to manage stress in schools? How can you even master every technique to manage stress in schools?

Let’s look at some breakthrough ideas that will get you started. For the sake of global readership, I will purposefully use simple English.

1. Courage of Convictions

Top principals have the courage of their convictions. They believe firmly that a principal should manage stress in schools. They exercise the courage of that conviction.

Make it a priority to manage stress in school. Set a goal as to when and how stress in school will be controlled. Let nothing and no one deter you from meeting that goal.

2. Be Proactive

Thinking principals are proactive about learning to manage stress in schools. They don’t wait until stressors create mass anxiety. They expect to manage stress, and set out to do so.

Take action to manage stress before it is born or in infancy. Look for ways to avoid stress. Meet it head on. Enlist school personnel and students in proactive efforts.

3. Manage Your Example

Successful principals manage personal stress, and expect to control stress in schools. The best way to help students and school personnel control stress is by practicing stress management techniques yourself.

Get control over your schedule and workload. Force yourself to take a 5-minute break every hour to stretch and breath deeply. Maintain a tidy office with peaceful pictures and soft, peaceful music.

4. Manage Your Atmosphere

Capable principals recognize the importance of a positive atmosphere in managing stress in schools. They know noise and confusion are stressors that need to be controlled.

Reduce noise in hallways and bathrooms by piping peaceful classical music over your public address system. One school that introduced classical music to a building full of rough, rowdy students cut noise dramatically, and brought tangible peace to the daily atmosphere. Use positive words and phrases on signs, serene wall hangings to manage stress in school.

5. Manage Safety

Wise principals recognize that one way to manage stress in schools is to provide security and safety. They seek to address all areas, including, but not limited to bullying, hazing, drinking, terrorism, violence, drugs, and playground or campus safety.

Assess your school’s security needs. Ask students to anonymously list safety issues that concern them. Ask parents for their perspective. Have an independent consultant assess your school. Then take action to control safety in and outside the school. Reducing safety issues is a great way to manage stress in schools.

6. Clarify Expectations

Distinguished principals, like great corporate CEOs, clarify expectations for students, teachers, and other school personnel. They provide written job descriptions in addition to regulations, knowing that when everyone knows what to do, it helps manage stress in schools.

Students, especially, are likely to respond positively to written job descriptions, rules, and schedules. Draw a parallel to the work world, and point out that your school is a workplace for all concerned. When everyone does what it expected, according to their job descriptions, things move smoothly and you manage stress in schools.

7. Concede Control

Clever principles know that a vital human desire is control. A lack of control is a stressor. The more control you can concede to students and school personnel, within reason, the more able you will be to manage stress in schools.

Concede a measure of control in matters such as discipline. Let students choose between staying after school, tutoring a younger student, or reading to very young students. Concede a measure of control in academic goals. Students who set their own goals with guidance will work with less stress than those on whom goals are forced.

8. Make Neon Boundaries

As expert principals, you know that boundaries are vital. Much as students may feign annoyance, they are more peaceful with boundaries. These need not be fences or walls, but make behavioral limits shine as brightly as though they were tangible, high walls painted in neon.

Bravely put in place inescapable limits on unwanted behavior. Practice zero-tolerance with a loving manner – tough love. Students and teachers who have clear boundaries, and remain within them, have less stress. It takes a firm hand to erect those boundaries, but they will prove indispensable in your efforts to manage stress in school.

The eighth point is perhaps the most powerful tool in your effort to manage stress in schools.

You probably know about the “boundaries” study done many years ago with a kindergarten class. The school playground in the study was surrounded by a chain link fence. The children were permitted to play anywhere on the playground, and did so – right to the fence itself. Each day, they ran and played happily, using every inch of the large playground.

Then, the fence was removed. The children went out for playtime as usual, but soon became stressed. They sat or stood near their teacher. When she urged them to run and play, a few moved away, but not far. Some began to cry, and clung to their teacher. When she again urged them to run and play, several did, but no one went far from the teacher. The big playground had become frightening because they no longer knew where the boundaries were.

How do principals manage stress in schools? There is a wealth of ways, but these should get you started.

Furniture Is Long Term Investment

School furniture is vital not only because of the comfort and the aspect of aesthetics, but also for being functional as per the classroom environments that they are supposed to serve. The kind of furniture that a school may have is decided upon by the school owners but one also has to keep in mind the function and comfort that the furniture is intended to serve for the students. Since classroom furniture are investments which should be considered long term, hence, it is important that such furniture is durable and of good quality. Again, the kind of students who will study in a classroom and the kind of teaching that will be done in a classroom also decides on the kind of furniture that is required. Classrooms in colleges usually have hundred of students while in schools, especially private schools, the number of students is much less as compared to public schools. Again, the kind of budget that a school has will decide on the kind of furniture that it can provide its students and staff.

Type Of Classrooms And Furniture Requirement

The kind of teaching that goes on in a class will decide the kind of furniture that it requires. If it is a laboratory, then there is requirement of tables and chairs which are resistant to chemical stains and fire. Safety and resistance furniture is stressed in such rooms. In contrast, an art room requires easels and stools to be provided for the students to draw and paint at ease. Again, in a technology room or a computer room, the kind of furniture is different than what is required in a classroom environment. The mode of learning in a class will also determine the kind of furniture that it will contain. Hence, in colleges school chairs are absent and all one sees are the long aisles of graduated seating arrangements with integrated platforms which serve as tables. In contrast, in classes in schools, there are separate tables and chairs provided to the students. The desks again are of varying types in different schools and in different education systems.

Type Of School And Furniture Requirement

The age of the student also determines the kind of classroom furniture that will be provided in a school. When it is a Montessori school involving toddlers, the chairs and tables are usually of small heights to suit children of such ages. The chairs and tables are not provided strictly as in case of older children. The playschool furniture is more open to experimentation and hence, can be defined by the school authorities. On the other hand, in secondary schools, the furniture is usually of a standard design. Again, if a student has special needs such as if one is wheelchair bound, and then he or she needs a classroom table according to their height. Again, some schools have chairs with built in desk platforms which allow more space and accommodation of more students in a class.

Each year the California Grand Lodge and its constituent Masonic lodges throughout the state proclaim one month to be “Public Schools Month.” A proclamation is routinely delivered by the sitting Grand Master, read aloud in each constituent lodge during one or more monthly stated meetings. Its purpose has always been to encourage lodges to plan a program publicly supporting Public Schools in a way that reveals for all to see the depth of Freemasonry’s commitment.

Until 2011, each constituent lodge was generally left to decide for itself what to do without the benefit of also embracing a statewide Masonic project in which it could become involved. That effort has been a rather haphazard implementation of a series of different activities by different lodges working independently of each other. The programs ranged from elaborate and energetic interaction with selected Public Schools to nothing at all.

There are many various reasons why certain lodges have done little or nothing. In some lodges the members have not been particularly active outside of lodge ritual or lodge social events. In other lodges the past leadership simply did not provide adequate vision. And in yet other lodges financial resources were inadequate to do much more than struggle to support the bare minimum of activities.

But all of that changed in 2011 for California Masons and their lodges. Grand Master William J. Bray III led the way to implementing a statewide Masonic commitment to the state’s public schools. Although it was his leadership that provided the energy for implementing the programs, the plan came from ordinary Masons who work in the trenches of Freemasonry throughout the state.

The most recent Grand Lodge Strategic Plan is the product of a survey taken by its Executive Committee and staff delivered to each and every member of a constituent lodge. Woven into the fabric of that plan was the overwhelmingly most popular response: Masonry should become a force for profoundly invigorating our Public Schools. Masons up and down the state concluded that it was important to save public education, make it better than ever before, and prove to our communities that Masons believe that a successful system of free public education is essential to the continuation of a free society.

To better understand why such a diverse group of men and women from differing political, religious and cultural backgrounds stand linked arm-in-arm in support of public schools, it is instructive to first learn how and why public schools came to dominate America’s educational system. A great deal of credit for that goes to Horace Mann – the “Father of the Common School Movement” – who also happened to be a Mason. It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that Mann’s dedication to the public school cause was due to his being a Mason. It would also be a mistake to infer that Freemasonry supports Public Schools simply because Horace Mann was a Mason. The truth of the matter is that Masonry embraces values that Mann found appealing enough to be initiated into the Craft. Freemasonry and Mann shared the same reverence for virtue, morality and the advancement of an enlightened public.

Today, Public Schools are the primary source for educating our children from kindergarten through high school. That was not always so, for from the beginning of this country until the present day advancing the cause of Public School education has been strongly opposed by parents with powerful political backing who have steadfastly resisted turning their children over to teachers for their moral education. Even in America’s early years some children were home-schooled. If their parents were wealthy enough others were taught by private tutors. However, soon after the American Revolution was concluded, Thomas Jefferson initiated a nationwide dialogue that gained such tremendous momentum that Public Schools eventually became the norm rather than the exception.

Jefferson argued that a free and independent society would be stronger if all of its citizens received equal access to knowledge – knowledge which each could then apply in their daily lives. At the end of the Revolution the nation found itself without any educational system and the people were left to fend for themselves. To remedy the matter, Jefferson – who at various times argued with equal vigor for small and large government – suggested that tax dollars be used to fund a nationwide educational system. His suggestion was ignored at the time and his idea languished for nearly a century.

By the 1840’s a few Public Schools had popped up around the country financially supported by communities that could afford them. At about this time Horace Mann began his own crusade, picking up where Jefferson had left off. Mann’s life story cannot be told here, but suffice to state that if he had not acted with energetic, single-minded dedication to what he believed was necessary, Massachusetts would not have passed the first compulsory education laws in 1852. New York followed the following year and by 1918 all American children were required to at least attend elementary school. What followed was the nothing less than the successful pursuit of something shared in common by Freemasonry and America’s Founding Fathers: equality.

At the turn of the 20th century schools in the South, as well as many in the north were segregated. In 1896, in a case entitled Plessy v. Ferguson, the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal – a decision that would be overturned decades later in the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. What was at issue in 1954 and decided once and for all time was the ideal that all men are created equal under the eyes of the Supreme Architect of the Universe – at least when it comes to the question of equal access to education. It certainly comes as no surprise that the Chief Justice in 1954 was Earl Warren who, like Horace Mann, was a Mason. From that year forward all Public Schools have been open to children of all ethnic backgrounds.

Between 1896 and 1954, Masons throughout America led the charge for the advancement of enlightenment with its clarion call for the support of Public Schools. It is neither ironic nor wholly surprising that the first time the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, whose see is at Charleston, North Carolina, ventured out into the world of community service was to further the cause of Public Schools. Much gratitude is owed to the Grand Commander at the time, George F. Moore, for his uncompromising leadership in that venture.

Before being elected Grand Commander in 1914 by the Supreme Council, Moore – a prolific writer – auditioned his Masonic position in favor of Public Schools in such publications as The New Age – a predecessor to today’s Scottish Rite Journal. His attempts, made before the onset of World War I, were well received everywhere – including in New York which was prompted by men such as Moore, as well as organizations such as the Scottish Rite to pass it’s compulsory education laws in 1918. In the years after Moore had passed his elected position as Grand Commander on to John Cowles, the Scottish Rite became known throughout America as the great promoter of nationwide literacy through the auspices of Public Schools.

California Masons were no less active in their support of Public Schools. In 1920 Charles A. Adams, Grand Master of Masons in California made Public Schools a Masonic project for the first time. The demands for manpower made upon the populace by World War I led to the flight of thousands of teachers from their classrooms. More important jobs awaited them: combat overseas, attending to farmlands to grow the food necessary to sustain a struggling nation, and manufacturing factories that had to fulfill ever increasing demands for the production and delivery of war materiel. Grand Master Adams witnessed the accompanying fallout with great alarm. Approximately 600 schools were closed throughout California – an extraordinary number for that time.

Although Freemasonry has consistently refrained from engaging in or taking sides in the world of public politics, Grand Master Adams prudently weighed the advantages and disadvantages of doing so on behalf of Public Schools. At its core, Masonry had always inculcated in its members the importance of pursuing knowledge. Its ritual sought to impress upon candidates for Masonic degrees the importance of studying the liberal arts and sciences, such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry. And the very idea about the establishment of Public Schools throughout the nation seemingly originated with our first President – and one of Freemasonry’s most prominent members. In a letter to his Vice President, John Adams, George Washington wrote:

“Wise and judicious modes of education, patronized and supported by communities, will draw together the sons of the rich and the poor, among whom it makes no distinction; it will cultivate natural genius, elevate the soul, excite laudable emulation to excel in knowledge, piety, and benevolence; and finally it will reward its patrons and benefactors by shedding its benign influence on the public mind.”

There was additional Masonic precedence for Grand Master Adams to draw upon before deciding what to do. De Witt Clinton, who served as Grand Master of Masons in New York, as well as Governor of that state, embraced the cause of Public Schools so emphatically that he is known today as the “Father of New York Public Schools.” While serving as Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin openly endorsed the adoption of Public Schools in that state.

With that history and precedent to support him, Grand Master Adams determined that California Masons should take a public stance in support of strengthening the Public Schools system in this state. He knew that Masonry had a long-standing belief that public education was essential to sustaining a free society. Indeed, Masonic virtues promoted a concept that went far beyond encouraging the mere accumulation of knowledge: equal access to knowledge promotes freedom and strengthens the middle class without which democratic principles fundamental to this Republic will wither away and eventually disappear. On those grounds it was easy for Grand Master Adams on August 30, 1920 to issue the first Masonic Public Schools Week Proclamation.

The history of Masonry’s support of Public Schools did not end there. That support has continued since then in every Masonic jurisdiction, but was perhaps most profoundly demonstrated by the continuing nationwide work by the Scottish Rite. For example, seizing upon the examples set by Grand Commanders Moore and Cowles – that freedom is the most significant blessing any man can enjoy – Brook Hays, a Thirty-Third degree Scottish Rite Mason and Arkansas congressman literally sacrificed his political career for Public Schools.

A lay-preacher and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Hays also took a stand against many of his Southern Baptist cronies by leading the public charge against Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus who opposed providing public education equally to all races. Owing to Hays’ courage and persistence, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the Arkansas National Guard to go into action. By his command they advanced into that state and restored obedience to the new law of the land – Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas – and thereby forever linked all of America and Freemasonry to a commitment to a free public education for all people.

In 1985 when Fred Kleinknecht was elected to serve as Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Public Schools were under assault by various religious organizations bent upon wresting control of education from the hands of a secular public. Two Masonic values were under attack: the freedom of religion and the right of all people to a free public education. Kleinknecht was determined to continue the work of his predecessor, Henry Clausen, to keep religion separate from the state – the one and only certain way to prevent the tyranny of theocratic doctrine. Grand Commander Kleinknecht would forever be dogged during his tenure by religious fundamentalists who eventually turned their ire directly against Masonry – an ire that to this day has not entirely abated.

It didn’t help Kleinknecht’s position in the eyes of his persistent detractors that Clausen had previously taken a firm public stance against prayer in Public Schools while serving as Grand Commander. To those fervently pressing for inclusion of prayer in Public Schools, Clausen’s stance was viewed as emblematic of all that is wrong with Masonry. The result has been a continuous and unrelenting effort to discredit the Craft and its members. It is no surprise that the assault by some powerful forces upon Public Schools has also increased and poses a threat to a bedrock of human freedom.

Today our Public Schools are operated at the state level by departments of education, and locally by school districts, as well as publicly elected or appointed officials. By one estimate there are approximately 15,000 such school districts operating throughout the nation. Most are supervised and run by individual counties. Because there is little federal oversight, curricula differs from state to state – a fact that has prompted some to opine that greater coordination or centralization would even out the existing disparities among the states in student performance.

While literacy rates among students at all levels in elementary school are perhaps the most important issue for Masons to focus upon, it is equally important to understand why some outspoken critics of Public Schools blame poor performance upon the system and its teachers, but give little credit to either when students perform well. The maxim “follow the money” is particularly relevant.

First, Public Schools are funded by tax monies paid by taxpaying citizens. No one likes paying taxes and when they are asked to pay more than they have in the past, many people point fingers of blame at supposed inefficiencies within the system.

Property taxes pay for most of the cost of Public Schools. Although some monies flow into the system from parents, private fundraising, as well as federal, state and local governments, it remains those taxes which comprise the lion’s share of funding. In California, a so-called “taxpayer revolt” and well-financed political campaign led to the passage of something referred to as “The People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation.” While the benefits and harm of that law can forever be debated, one fact about Public Schools is beyond debate: since the 1960’s when California schools were highly ranked among the nation’s Public Schools, there has been a steady decline since The People’s Initiative was made law. Today the state’s Public School students now rank 48th out of 50 states in many surveys about student achievement.

For Masonry the challenge is not about endorsing or opposing higher taxes, or even to adopt a position in that emotionally-charged debate. Rather, the challenge is to fully comprehend the forces at work for and against Public Schools. Our discussion is not about whether to support Public Schools – it is about how best Masonry can do so. Consequently it is essential for Masons to engage in a dispassionate discussion about Public Schools without getting drawn into the politics that never seem far away. Perhaps the forum our Craft provides, devoid of political ambition, is the best forum within which that discussion can take place.

On April 1, 2011, the California Grand Lodge will “kick-off” its strategic plan to make a profound difference in public education. Celebrations up and down the state will take place at various Public School sites intended to communicate clearly and very publicly that Masonry intends to work for the advancement of Public Schools. It intends to do so because a productive, educated middle class is fundamental to the perpetuation of a free society. Enlightened people will not easily relinquish the freedoms first established by the Founding Fathers.

There is important work remaining to be done by California Masons. A kick-off celebration without something of substance to follow is little more than a show – not an effort to make a profound difference. Public school advisory councils drawing upon the talents and resources of Masons within their geographical boundaries consisting of a mix of age groups to discuss and decide upon ways to implement the Grand Lodge’s strategic plan hold out much promise for success. Masonry is at its best when it coordinates its lodges into a force for good. The advisory councils can be such a force.

Equally important, public school advisory councils provide an opportunity to California Masons that might not otherwise exist: the opportunity to engage members who are searching for something meaningful with which to make a personal commitment. As they progress through the various stages of initiation, from the First to the Third Degree, Masons anticipate learning about how they can be a part of something that changes society – and changes it positively. Our fraternal support of Public Schools offers the Craft a wonderful, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put Masons to work to implement Masonic values dedicated to the hope that freedom will always prevail and that the pursuit of knowledge will forever be available to the rich and the poor, the high and the low – to all regardless of station in life.

School resources seem to become easier to come by as technology advances and the people around the world become more interconnected. Arts and crafts for kids are available all around the world because of the way the global economy works. Teaching resources are becoming more available because of advancements in technology, such as the Internet. A teacher can now grab additional information from the Internet that can be used to go into more depth about a topic that is being taught from the book. Nowadays, students can be shown pictures, videos, and other information related to the learning topic instantly through the use of the Internet. School teachers and parents have had a hard time when it comes to getting children to pay attention in school in the past, but these problems have become much less prevalent as technology has advanced and made learning more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Children cannot resist the interesting aspect on learning created by the Internet, which is why young children are becoming smarter at a younger age these days. While computers can definitely be used to waste time playing video games, they also have their use as a tool for education. A child left on his own would probably just play video games all day, but it is the job of the teacher and parent to make sure they are using technology for learning and not for laziness. A teacher can only do this job with enough available resources to grab the attention of a child and teach him or her about the world. Many resources for teachers are being cut out by advancements in technology these days, but this is actually a good thing. The resources being cut out are those that have been proven to be slower and less effective. A child is much better off using the Internet than an Encyclopaedia, so there is no reason to force outdated resource books to be used by students. New technology is available to help make learning more fun and exciting for both the students and the teachers. This technology should be used since it is likely to help children enjoy learning and strive to learn more each day.

One of the best resources for learning today are games that help children have fun while being taught the facts of the world. These games have become even more entertaining for children with the added use of various pieces of technology. Today, teachers are allowed to interact with the World Wide Web during lessons, which helps them gain more resources to show the children and teach them about the world. Fun activities in the lesson plan of a teacher are always a positive for the learning environment. Kids just care about having fun all of the time, so they have to be having fun while they learn. You cannot just teach by the book because that will leave most of the students bored and uninterested. This is a problem with many school systems around the world. The children simply do not care about paying attention to someone giving them a lecture all day. They will be much more open minded about learning if it is through the use of fun and games.

Learning is impossible without school resources, but learning can be taken to the next level with the use of fun activities for the students to do during the lesson. Arts and crafts for kids are a great method to get them to learn because most children love to colour and paint. This is often used in geography lessons where countries can be learned by colouring in maps with different colours for different sections of the world. Teaching resources are important, but how those resources are used are just as important. If a teacher really wants to get through to their students, they need to let them have fun every now and then. Starting the day with a lesson and note taking is fine, but the students need some kind of hands-on activity to really have the material sink in. The best way to get students to care about learning is to make it as fun as possible.

The school is our second home. We spend almost half of our waking hours inside the school when we were still students. On average, we spend a third of our lifetime inside the walls of the classroom. Just as our upbringing have a lot to do with how we live our lives, our school and education also has a deep impact on how we view the world.

However, just as we are tested by time and circumstances, bringing the best and the worst in all of us, time can also take its toll on the classrooms, the hall ways, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, and other school buildings which brings back fond and not-so-fond memories. The roof of the gymnasium had the look that it’s about to fall in at any moment and the rooms badly need repainting as well as the administrative offices. And then, of course, the architecture and design of some of the buildings are so outdated, it seems like stepping into the past.

School buildings and infrastructures are exposed to all weather conditions there is – sun, rain, snow and other elements. It is therefore important that there is a regular school maintenance and repair schedule, a yearly plan to keep the space in good running order. There are rooms to be renovated, drains to be unclogged, walls to be repainted, flooring to be redone, and roofs to be fixed. There are so many details that need to be considered.

There are many companies which offer these services and help the school look its best as well as provide the students the comfort and amenities. Aside from providing education and learning to the students, it is also the school’s obligation to make the education and learning process as pleasant as possible. And by that it means that school facilities are in working order since this is an important aspect of quality education.

School repair and maintenance may not be as evident to the public as the utter lack of some school facilities such as insufficient number of computers for each student or the shortage of teachers and instructors. What many fail to take into consideration is that school infrastructure is a vital component of learning.

Can you really concentrate when you can’t take your eyes off the peeling paint of the classroom ceiling? Is it safe to practice at the gym on a rainy day when there are leaks on the roof? Will you enjoy going to school when the school buildings look like a dilapidated movie set from the 1940’s?

Not really an inviting venue for learning, isn’t it?

Looking after the school through regular maintenance and repair will not only be pleasing to the eye but more importantly, an area more conducive to learning.

However, this entails the problem of funding. Most public school systems lack the budget to put up with the small and the much needed repairs so that the damage pile up and accumulate over the years and it hits everyone all at once that the school has been reduced to something close to a group of old-fashioned, rundown and substandard buildings. If we want to improve the quality of education in our schools and raise the standards of our graduates, we must take the time and the funding to improve the quality of the school infrastructure itself.

This is not as easy as it sounds. The issue has been in contention for quite some time as it is and no compromise is seen to be happening in the near future, especially with the global financial crisis. At this point in time, improving school infrastructure is not seen to be a priority.

Have you ever heard of home schooling being associated with peanut butter? If you’re like me, I hadn’t either until I read this book years ago. In fact, I’ve read it several times now, over the years, because of the author’s sense of humor and witty reflection, of what life is sometimes like for a home school family. He reveals that home schooling “is full of surprises, challenges, and blessings.”

Okay, but what is the connection with peanut butter you ask? Bill Butterworth associates home schooling and peanut butter with life. He feels life is very much like peanut butter. At different times it can be smooth or crunchy. But most importantly, like peanut butter on two slices or bread (or anything else it touches), home school families stick together.

Now, what would you call the house of a home school family that buzzes with constant activity, houses 4 young children, 2 adults, and a new baby on the way? Why Union Station, of course! As Bill says, “What else could you possibly call a home that’s like a train depot? It fits so well. Our home has all the craziness of a terminal, yet it also provides the place to rest between trips. So it was settled: Union Station.”

The chapter titles of this book are rather intriguing as well. Try to picture in your mind, Heppie Bread, Home-School Trivial Pursuit, Return to Walton’s Mountain, The Tale of a Whale, The Union Spy Station, and the list goes on.

As Pastor, radio Bible teacher, and author Chuck Swindoll states, “I happily cast my vote for the real-life Peanut Butter Family. It is warm-hearted, fun-loving, always- encouraging statement of affirmation on the value of being in touch with your kids. What I appreciate most is that it comes from a home where the parents practice a lot more than they preach. You’ll love it.”

Do you want a book that makes you smile? Read this one! I’m glad I did!!

It’s that exciting time of year. Kids are heading off to school in their new duds with backpacks full of notebooks and lunch pails. But it turns out not only the young will be cracking books.

Plenty of baby boomers are going back to school as well. Some are enrolling to college for the first time.

“At 78 million strong, the baby boomer generation is bringing a surge of older students to campus,” states the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in its report “Plus 50 Students: Tapping Into a Growing Market.

What are the reasons for this trend? Unlike younger college students, trail-blazing baby boomers aren’t driven by anyone’s expectations other than their own, according to a survey by Schools.com. And, perhaps surprisingly, regret doesn’t seem to be a big factor either. Only about 15 percent of students aged 50 to 59 said they went back to school to complete a degree they previously started.

So, just why are baby boomers heading back to school?

To Update Skills

Many boomers are working longer. Studies show that up to 80 percent of baby boomers plan to do some sort of paid work until age 70 to stay mentally sharp, keep engaged socially, and achieve financial security in retirement. That leaves a couple of decades after 50 to work.

Whether boomers are working because of financial needs or personal choice, many go back to college for additional training so they can stay marketable in the workforce or advance their careers. Some are laid off and having difficulty finding employment. Updating their skills by going back to school seems like a step in the right direction.

Aside from motivation, baby boomers stand out from younger students in other ways. For example, most don’t care about social activities, campus life, and extracurricular activities. Many enroll in online or hybrid degree programs because of the lower cost and flexibility.

Many colleges have taken note of older students’ unique needs as they search for fast and efficient ways to further their education and careers. In fact, The American Association of Community Colleges introduced the Plus 50 Initiative in 2008 to help colleges learn how to provide what older students want. As a result, those over 50 usually can find plenty of flexibility with degree programs, online and weekend courses, and accelerated classes.

To Change Careers

Some baby boomers are pursuing an “encore career” and go back to school to prepare for a new direction in life. Whether boomers are retired and want to try out another career part-time or are still working and want to change jobs, many want to pursue their interests and passions before it’s too late.

In addition, as people age, they tend to want a career that’s fulfilling and meaningful to help others. “Sometimes people may have been very successful in a career that they had and now they are retiring but they knew all along it wasn’t what they really wanted to be doing,” says Dawn Jones of the Office of Career and Transfer Services at Schenectady County Community College. “They want to be doing things that are more important to them.”

To Focus on Themselves

For those 50-59, the decision to return to school was often about finally having the freedom to explore a subject they love. Thirty-one percent of those surveyed in that age range said they enrolled in college to explore their passions. Compare that to those between 18 and 29 who were three times less likely to give that answer; they were more likely to say they enrolled in college as a logical next step in their lives.

The fact is that baby boomers are changing the way people age and many want to continue to grow and learn. Some become part of the continuing education department, taking classes to learn a new language or about astronomy. The idea is to learn for themselves rather than earn a degree. And why not? Many now have the freedom with less responsibilities to take advantage of opportunities.

Are you a baby boomer thinking about going back to college? Don’t let age stop you. It’s never too late to go back to school or try out a new career.

“It’s not about a number, it’s about a mindset,” Jones says. “If it’s something you want to do and have the energy to do and you’re passionate about it. We’ve had students in their 60s and 70s, and I think we’ve even had a few older than that, taking classes and enrolled in degree programs. There’s no age limit, there’s no limit to what you can do if you want to be doing it.”

“What I say often to my returning adults is ‘you’re never too old to decide what you want to be when you grow up.'” Jones adds.

A while back, I helped sponsor my friend Mator on a trip back to his home village with a lady I knew. He said the children were still sitting in the dirt under a tree. There were three hits that had been used as classroom but we’re unsafe.

A few months ago, Mator, Geri, and I started a non-profit to see what we can do to help the children of Wutkoro Primary School. It is located in Pinychuier village near Wangulei of Twic County. It has over 100 children.

Our hope is to have the village residents construct the structure if we can provide the funding. The structure needs to survive the rainy season. The teachers there need to know we care and they can make a difference for the young ones.

In America, we are blessed with buildings, supplies and funding needed to function. Our children may not understand the blessings of attending school and having school supplies. They do not all have the same obstacles children in some other countries have.

As a first year teacher at the age of 55, I believe maybe God’s timing is for me to learn all I can about what is needed to successfully run a school. As I learn, I can be a resource to teachers at Wutkoro Primary School and help them locate resources. I’ve been an aide, a substitute teacher, an after school summer teacher and now a first grade teacher. Who knows, maybe my journey is just beginning. First, we need to start with fundraising.

I met my friend Mator as one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan in 2001. My son married a girl from Sudan. If they have a child, I forever have a tie to South Sudan.

Even though here we jump on social media instantly, not all regions on earth have access to it. There are still rural villages with no electricity, running water or transportation. Once we raise the funds, Mator will still need to travel there again to oversee the project. Transporting supplies for the project will be the biggest challenge. Getting through all the proper channels will be essential. It will also need a lot of prayer.

I’ve watched this young man grow over the past 20 years in his education, raising a family, and evolving in his career. I believe we can see this project become a reality but we need a lot of help. To learn more about the project, see the resource box below. If you are a praying person, pray for us.

A lot of the time, the people that we are interested in finding are those from our past. It is quite possible to trace these people, no matter how far back the time period stretches. Find out about some of the ways that you can go about this search from the following article.

If you are interested in ways of how to find people you went to elementary school with then you will find the answers that you are looking for here. It would seem highly unlikely that you would be able to trace people from that far back. If their names and other personal details that you might know about them have not changed, you will be able to find them.

There are a lot of groups that are formed on the social networks. Most of these groups relate to former schools that people went to. You can browse through some of the social networks for a club or group that relates to the elementary school you went to and you might just find one. This is one way of how to find people you went to elementary school. Check through places like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr.

Most of the networks allow you to search for groups and networks that are within them. Use the advanced options search in each one and you should be able to locate them. IF there is no such group that exists you can start one and it is only a matter of time before you find your friends.

There are a lot of reunion sites that are meant for former classmates on the internet. Just look up some of the more popular ones like classmates.com or reunion.com and try a search from there. Many people that are searching for former classmates use some of these places and they are the easiest way to find people. That is another way of how to find people you went to elementary school.

School areas are meant to be clean and considerably decent for students to use throughout the school day. One would think that schools are required to follow a strict code for clean facilities, but it is still surprising how difficult it is to keep school restroom facilities clean and up to date. Hand dryers are among some of the newest implements resolving less paper use and forcing students to use the dryers for lack of paper towels. Toilet paper dispensers have been updated, helping the custodial staff do their job better. Custodial staff has also been updates as far as their cleaning materials go. They now use a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth instead of using lots of cleaning paper towels.

There are some good things concerning how school facilities are taken care of, but there are some far worse things. Some schools have the money to completely renovate and upgrade their buildings, but others barely have the money for a correct number of books. Some school restroom facilities are simply too old; some of these schools have been using the same facilities since 1970 and backwards. Students need to be able to be able to use a restroom at school, without feeling like they are grossing themselves out or feeling unsanitary. Bathroom facilities should not see rust anywhere, they should have good clean lighting, the water faucets should work so that students can wash their hands, and overall there should be enough bathrooms on campus so that students can get back to class in a timely manner.

Students need to know that washing their hands after using the restroom is extremely important. Most high school students know this and tend to follow this, but other elementary students may forget. This is how germs and diseases get spread from contagious interactions. Staff and faculty need to push hand washing and custodial staff needs to make sure that students are given a proper amount of soap to use and that water faucets are working at all times. Schools may know that their facilities are too old, but they cannot ignore the changes that need to be made forever.

Some of the problems that persist in the bathroom areas of certain schools are bathroom destruction committed by the students. Some students insist on writing on walls, not flushing toilets, and even leaving water running when they leave the restroom. Faculty and staff of the school must create some kind of disciplinary action or consequence to keep students from destructively continuing destructive behavior in the restroom. This is one of the main reasons why faculty may also refuse to fix bathrooms, because student will not stop creating problems for the school to try to fix.

It is not always the school’s fault when facilities are not up to date, but it is a problem that can be fixed with the help of students and faculty. The restroom facilities are there for everyone so everyone should learn to use them correctly and respect them, just like a school classroom or your very own restroom at home.