Pearls & Onions

Attention Beta Club members: The White River Carnival Committee is searching for volunteers to help with the White River Carnival Saturday, August 2. If you’re interested in donating a bit of community service and earning Beta service hours, be at the park pavilion, the big concert area by the river, at 11 a.m. to sign [...]

Oops–Sorry to have stressed you all. The deadline for the first task is NOT tomorrow. My bad! It’s NEXT Friday, so you have a whole week left to finish.
I’ll try to look a bit harder at the calendar next time before I send out a reminder.:)

I’m sure all of you have been plugging away, working to finish the first assignment: writing an essay that evaluates three blogs. The deadline is tomorrow. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail me or leave a comment here.
When you have posted your response on your blog, please comment here to tell me [...]

Here’s the rubric  I’ll use to evaluate your evaluation of the three blogs you’ve selected. Be sure to read it before submitting your post. I think you’ll find it a helpful writer’s checklist.
For those of you struggling with this first assignment, trying to wrap your brain around how to get started, I’ve created a tutorial [...]

Help me compile a book list by completing the Google Docs Form below. Simply type in your title choices in the three boxes; then, scroll down, and click ”Submit.” 

Commenting on standardized tests such as the PSAT and SAT (and we can assume the ACT), Pink, in chapter two, states:
         These tests have become important gatekeepers for entry
          into meritocratic, middle-class society. They’ve created an
          SAT-ocracy–a regime in which access to the good life
          depends on the ability to reason logically, sequentially, and
          speedily. (29)
If [...]

Pink defines “six senses”–the “six essential abilities” he thinks individuals will need to be successful in the 21st Century (4).  In Part Two of his book, at the end of each chapter, he offers “a collection of tools, exercises, and further reading…that can help you surface and sharpen that sense” (4).
Choose one suggested tool or exercise, and [...]

In chapter three, Pink writes: 
     To survive in this age, individuals and organizations must examine what
     they’re doing to earn a living and ask themselves three questions:
       1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
       2. Can a computer do it faster?
       3. Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance? (51)
In [...]

Below are a few sites that give tips, tricks, formats for writing your resume.  One of the elements that can set your resume apart from others is POWER VERBS. Be sure to educate yourself (via the info. in links below) about using power verbs.
Check out these links:

AIE: Adventures in Education 

College Confidential

Resume Tips for High School Students

Your final summer task is to read A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. You’ll need to purchase your own copy of the book. It’s currently $10.50 at Amazon. If purchasing the book is a problem, please contact me, and I can secure you a copy.
Purchasing your own copy allows you [...]