Good Things Require Effort

Setting Priorities is Wise

School Lunches in the U.S.

When I saw First Lady Michelle Obama had visited Howard University the other day, it brought to mind her campaign to improve school lunches across the country. While strides have been made, there’s quite a disparity between what students are served in U.S. schools and abroad.

Most Americans would assume we feed our students better, but that’s not the case. Take a look at this short segment from the CBS news magazine show Sunday Morning to learn the truth:

Click here: Sunday Morning

When I first saw this particular show, I visited the principal of my school the next morning with a question. How much does a student lunch in our school cafeteria cost to make?  The answer was $5.00. This is the same as in most French schools. There, however, chefs prepare complete healthy meals which are served restaurant style to all students.

Are we not one of the wealthiest nations on the planet? Yet we feed only some of our students, and those meals certainly do not measure up to the standards in other first world countries. We should do better by our children. Our future as a nation depends upon their health and well-being.

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

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How to Make Friends

3 Steps to Earn an A

Several years ago I decided to leave the country on business. After making this decision, I told my students that I wanted to go out with a bang. I wanted them all to earn an A, and told them how to achieve it. That June, one class had 80% A’s, 15% B’s and 5% C’s. There were no D’s or F’s. Why did this happen in one class and not the others? These students believed me, and did as I suggested. The others didn’t.

Here is what I told them:

1.   Come to class every day well rested and fed.

-If there’s a field trip in another class, and you know you’ll be absent, ask for the work in advance. Do it before you go on the trip. If you had trouble with the work, after you get home from the field trip, call a friend from class and ask for help.

-Figure out what time you need to get up in the morning in order to arrive at school on time. Count back nine hours and go to bed at that time each night.

-Have a healthy breakfast each morning and a nutritious lunch at school, (bring your own food or buy something at school).

-If you’re sick, stay home and get well.

2.   Do every assignment.

-Write down every homework assignment. They’re usually on the board in front of the class. If your homework or class assignments are on the class website, bookmark it on your computer.

-Pay attention and complete every class and homework assignment.

-They do not have to be done perfectly, but they need to be complete.

3.   If you are confused or don’t understand, ask a question.

-Smart people get this way by asking questions when they don’t understand something. Raise your hand if there’s something you don’t get.

-Make sure you have the phone number of three students in each class.

-Make sure at least one of them is a better student than you are.

-Call one of them if you missed class or need help on an assignment. (People are usually happy to help.)

Students who believed me did these things. Those who did them well received an A. Those who didn’t do them as well received a B, and those who messed up from time to time, but otherwise stuck to the plan, received a C. Everyone knew too much to get a D or F. Try this. What have you got to lose?

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Morguefile