The Great NEWS posts in 2015 are dedicated to sharing Healthy Habits and today’s post on Empowering Education is in honor of a friend who just retired as a teacher.  One of the most important healthy habits for us to focus our energy and time is enjoying and enriching our children with empowering education.   To maintain our long term health and well being requires us to be diligent about what information, influences and institutions we allow to play prominent positions in our life.  This post is dedicated to the parents, students and teachers in each of us to help create healthy habits for developing, growing, learning and performing at our full potential.

Many people feel, have felt or found the education system to be overly challenging, competitive, condescending and confusing.  It often seems that parents, students and teachers do not have the energy, freedom, resources, support and time required for creating a great education environment.  Most people do not realize the importance of making education one of the most important life goals for our personal development and self growth.

Book Pile

Most people do not realize the importance of making education one of the most important life goals for our personal development and self growth.

When we make our empowerment and education top daily priorities we set our self up for happiness, health and harmony in our day to day life.We must learn to act, learn, live and think as if education is one of the most important foundations for life because it is.  Too many people act, feel and think education is an elective rather than a mandatory core course that will influence every aspect of our life.

When we feel free to continually explore, grow, investigate, learn, read and write a profound shift occurs that allows us to reach our happier, healthier and higher potential.  Unfortunately many agencies, companies, governments, institutions, organizations, parents, students, teachers and unions have dictated and directed the regulations and rules which determine how, what, when and where education will be conducted.  Often these education policies and procedures while well intended are not in the best interest of parents, students and teachers.

One of the most detrimental things that have occurred is the vastly different, difficult and divergent school systems, standards and structures that have evolved instead of a centralized, cohesive and comprehensive education system.

In the US there are so many different city, county and state systems and structures that it appears almost impossible to meet the needs of parents, students and teahcers  Due to different educational environments, funding, regulations, restrictions, support, technology and zoning our education and school system has morphed into a miss match of mayhem and mismanagement.

We must do more to strengthen and support school systems to meet the needs of parents, students and teachers alike for the good of the individuals and society as a whole.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and we have lots of weak links in our educational system.

While the US has great sounding programs like:  Department of Education, National School Lunch Program, No Child Left Behind, Standard Aptitude Tests (SAT),  Federal Grants and Federally Funded Education Programs, too often the programs are delivering substandard procedures and results.  This drives up the cost of education while delivering minimal meaningful progress.

Parents that can afford to subsidize their child’s education with testing techniques, tools, training and tutoring are able to game and hack the system to their advantage.  Students without the benefit of parental financial resources and involvement often come up short changed.

The US constitution leaves K – 12 education to the individual states.  As a result we have 50 different states and systems to deal with even though we are one country and the population, size and resources of each state varies greatly.  No wonder we are being challenged in business and education by so many countries that are delivering better results and smarter students than the US.

We spend $536 Billion on K – 12 education which even calculated on a per child basis is significantly more than most countries.  Yet our system is faltering and they are consistently outperforming us on the quality of education, information, learning and literacy levels. Compared to most developed countries we have a lower graduation rate.

Empowering Education

Kids Reading

All parents, schools, students and teachers would benefit from a unified standard of curriculum, funding, grading, graduating, reporting and testing with total transparency.

To begin we must design one unified school standard and system that is consistent and standardized for all K through 12 grades.  Many families move around and this often penalizes the children.

Parents, students and teachers must have a safe, secure and supportive environment.  They must have equal opportunity to learn and progress regardless of the city, county, district or state they reside in.  With modern technology we can provide the best education and information learning modules from the best teachers and trainers available delivered anywhere it is needed.

We need to educate our children on the information and life skills they will need to be happy, positive and productive members of society.  Too many times a parent, student or teacher fails to receive the education, support and training they need to advance and progress properly.

All parents, schools, students and teachers would benefit from a unified standard of curriculum, funding, grading, graduating, reporting and testing with total transparency.

All children and adults deserve the opportunity and right for pursuing any business, career, education, financial success, job, lifestyle, opportunity or profession of their choice.

Adults and children deserve and need access to a wide variety of education and information resources covering all life skills areas including: aptitude, attitude, banking, business, career and job skills, child raising and prenatal care, communications and language,  computers and internet, contracts and legal documents, disease prevention, ecology and environment, ethics, exercise and fitness, family skills, financial planning, fine arts, food and agriculture systems, global awareness and economics, government, law and political system, health (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual), homes and housing, investing and saving, insurance products, lifestyle skills, math, medical care and prevention, money management, nutrition, personal growth and self development, reading, relationship skills, retirement planning, parenting, technology, values, wellness and writing.  Do you notice any missing from your education?

It is an extremely beneficial and wise investment to educate young people to be the best person they can be in order to fulfill their role in society. The money and time invested in education will pay big dividends.  Cutting corners and short changing their education will be a long term economic loss and financial drain on the economy and society.

Many schools spend way too much money on sports like baseball, basketball and football that only benefits a minority of students and deprives the majority of the students of money that could fund more beneficial learning programs.

A child’s education is too important and valuable for a country not to be providing the best opportunity, resources and teachers available.  A country cannot afford to waste energy, money or time on nonproductive or unnecessary boondoggles, pork barrels and sacred cows. Most of us have heard about the money spent on cameras, fancy stadiums, spiffy uniforms and trips for the baseball, basketball and football teams.  Investing that money in education and information that benefits all students is the goal for the highest good.  Our education efforts, money and time should be focused on the best strategies and systems that provide the most bang for the buck and benefit the greatest number of students.

Simple Steps Include

Promoting and providing nutrient dense organic whole foods is one of the easiest and most beneficial steps we could implement to help with a child’s education and health.  The brain needs proper fuel to function and learn at its best.  Organic gardens on campus could educate students about healthy food while providing higher quality food at a lower cost than most school lunch programs.

Promote exercise and fitness programs to help students be fit, flexible and strong.  Many schools have dropped physical education as a key requirement which results in many children being out of shape and overweight.  This could result in health issues and impaired learning for the children now and in the future.  All school grades could easily provide basic exercise and fitness programs to help establish healthy habits for life.

Classroom Chairs

The majority of children are sitting too long in uncomfortable chairs which are causing drastic challenges to their alignment, fitness, health, posture, strength and structure.

Many education experts, researchers and professionals agree that a child’s level of fitness, health, nutrition and mental well being has a major impact on their ability to learn and progress.  Focusing on policies and procedures that will directly support healthy habits for children and parents will benefit our future by reducing long term health, lost productivity and wellness related costs.

The majority of children are sitting too long in uncomfortable chairs which are causing drastic challenges to their alignment, fitness, health, posture, strength and structure.  When the butt goes to sleep the mind soon follows. Children are the future of a country so focusing our efforts on empowering education and healthy habits will lead to healthier and smarter children and more productive citizens.  We need cities, companies, employers, governments and schools to come together in collaboration and cooperation to promote a better education system for the good of our economy and society.

All education, programs and training implemented to help with children’s emotional, mental and physical well being will pay big dividends to create more productive and profitable people.  Balanced, fit, flexible, smart, strong and toned students will most likely perform better in their business, career or profession for life.

By utilizing state of the art education and technology we can deliver the most effective and efficient learning programs for long term benefits and progress.    Identifying the most productive methods that provide the best overall results will lead to better parents, students and teachers. This will help children be happy, healthy and in harmony as students and productive members of society. Have you heard about super learning?

The bottom line is children deserve and need all the solutions, strategies, suggestions and support available to implement even more empowering education and healthy habits.  When children feel even more appreciated, happy and healthy in all areas of life our communities and society will benefit.

Body Mind & Spirit Empowering Education

Children are more likely to remain eager, healthy, motivated, productive, resilient and smart when they have access to the education, information, resources, support and teachers they need.   This will result in better communities, families and society as a whole.  When children are not empowered, educated, happy and healthy our economy, productivity and profitability will stagnate and suffer.  Do you see a correlation to the challenges we are currently facing because of education issues?

Investing the energy and time to help children be happy, healthy, smart and well rounded in all areas of their life will yield big dividends in the overall quality of life for society.  Empowering education will have long term positive effects for our children, adults and future generations.

Benefits for US

Having a healthy body is essential for children’s learning and retention.  When we help them take better care of their body others areas of their life will benefit also.  Exercise, fitness, hygiene and nutrition are essential to keep children operating at peak performance.

A child’s mind will benefit from deep diaphragm breathing, meditation and mindfulness.  Children perform better when their biological clock is synchronized with the circadian rhythms, lunar calendar and seasons.  Day light savings time does not really help and is counterproductive in many ways.  The body and brain work well together when our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well being is maintained.

Children’s spiritual life will benefit as they learn to connect with core values and visions.

Children thrive when they feel safe, secure, strong and supported.  The more a child feels appreciated, loved and respected the more their family and community will benefit also.

We provide a very valuable role in the educating, learning and teaching process for children.  What they learn and utilize is essential for the stability and strength of our country.  We must do whatever it takes to help children be active, empowered, fit and smart to enhance our global economic position.

As an adult their business, career and profession will benefit from the empowering education and health habits foundation we provide.  A lack of education and poor health are some of the worst things that rob an adult of being productive and proud members of society.  Education and life skills are the keys to performance, productivity, profitability and progress in life.

Educated and motivated children find it easier for their finances to flourish.  It requires empowering education, healthy habits and passion with purpose to maintain our finances and manifest wealth.

Children who feel supported in all areas of their life are able to discover and enjoy the abundance life has to offer.  Without an empowering education adults often end up feeling sad, sick, stressed and struggling.

Empowering Education Suggestions

Parents, students and teachers need a clear mission, vision and plan for Nursery school, Pre K and K – 12th grade. Plus a University plan for those students who demonstrate they are a good fit.

Education needs to fully address different learning styles including, visual, auditory and kinesthetic.  We are each different and unique and old school reading, writing and arithmetic are no longer adequate.

Education and students would benefit from replacing the ABC’s Old Alphabet Words with New and Empowering Words like Attitude, Behavior, Confidence, Discipline, Ethics, Focus, Gratitude, Honor, Integrity, Justice, Knowledge, Love, Motivation, Nutrition etc.

Over emphasis on grades and testing creates excessive pressure and stress.  Not all students learn or test the same and many simply try to memorize information long enough to score on a test.  Many countries have eliminated these roadblocks to learning.

Reading is one of the most important life skills and parents should read to children starting with pregnancy until they are proficient readers to help educate and empower children early on.

Writing is as essential as reading and the more we can help children with their writing skills the better and faster they will progress.

Communications, critical thinking and problem solving are essential life skills.  All families should engage in some level of targeted homeschooling and life skills training.

Math is important for many careers and reasons in life. However calculators and computers are here to serve many of our day to day math needs.

Science fairs and science projects are extremely valuable to help kids learn and love science.  Science is important for our future and must be ethical, holistic and well researched so it serves the higher good and is sustainable long term.

History adds value when looking at global events and perspectives. Unfortunately most of our history is about conquest, domination and wars and we are repeating the same mistakes in spite of learning history.

Books are valuable tools to capture our learning’s and share valuable life lessons. Whether you prefer e-books or paper books enjoy reading even more.

Computers have become an essential part of life for learning and research.  Every child and adult needs to learn how to access and use a computer to the fullest extent necessary and possible.

Most teachers are terrific people with a gift and talent to educate students. They deserve our full appreciation, endorsement and support.  Good teachers should be renewed and rewarded. Teachers who have past their prime should be revitalized or retired.

Grad Cap

Not every student is college bound so job, technical and work skills are valuable resources to invest in students who are not as academically inclined.

Students deserve the strategies, support and systems necessary to succeed.  Many of the old school models are so outdated as to appear ridiculous.  3 to 4 hours of homework shows children are not learning and teachers are not teaching in the most optimal way.  Children can use summer time to explore new activities, adventures, books, experiences, skills, study and travel to enhance their education.  The EU is a great role model for more well rounded cultural, diversity and language experiences.

Class size needs to be manageable for the resources and teacher while offering a supportive environment.  Classrooms, desks and supplies must meet the needs of the students.  Schools should look like a business environment and aesthetically pleasing and not like a prison without windows.

School districts, state standards and federal funding and support should insure that all students receive an equivalent education opportunity regardless of limitations or location.

Curriculum should provide everything from basic to intermediary to exceptional depending on the child’s ability.  While the idea of “no child being left behind” sounds great we should not hold back our brightest students or dumb down our standards to pamper a child who is not putting the effort and energy into education. Not every student is college bound so job, technical and work skills are valuable resources to invest in students who are not as academically inclined.

School sports should benefit all students equally.  While this may sound like heresy to some, promoting band, biking, field hockey, 4-H Clubs, hiking, soccer, swimming, track, volleyball or even walking for all students offers better options than baseball, basketball or football teams for a select few.  Schools are for empowering education rather than college recruiting, professional league training and special sports promotions.

When parents are not taking an interest and tuned in to their students many of them end up with addictions, complacent, fat, lazy, low morals, narcissistic and unmotivated.  As adults they are unable to function well and may end up with criminal activity, excessive debt and be unemployed.

Healthy Habits

The Healthy Habits 2015 series offers simple suggestions to help create more happiness and harmony.   Empowering education helps children become vital members of a prosperous and successful society.   Children deserve and desire to have access to an education and the skills to be productive and profitable people.  We must do our part to insure that all children are offered the empowering education and healthy habits to be successful for life.

This Great NEWS post on Healthy Habits shared some simple suggestions for providing even more empowering education.  Children need our help to develop all the areas in their wheel of life. They depend on us to grow and learn the skills and thinking necessary for them to succeed in life.  Empowering education is vital to help children become productive members of our communities and society.

What is your current Gap?

What are you doing to promote and support empowering education for children?  How easy would it be to invest thirty few minutes a day to support children with their education?   Imagine the positive influence you will provide to help them establish a great educational foundation?

Mastery Action Plan (MAP)

What mastery action plans and steps will help the children in your life to be more curious, educated, inspired, intelligent and wise?  Mentors and volunteers are desperately needed to help with all areas of education.  Have you see the short video “Shift Happens” about the global changes shaping our future?

Call to Action

What comments, commitments or concerns come to mind regarding empowering education and healthy habits for children?  What other ideas and inspiration will help motivate us towards better behaviors, beliefs and biology for a great 2015 and beyond?

Next week the Great NEWS blog will share:

Healthy Habit Psychology of Eating

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