Here is the deal…

Just so you know, I am the type of person that feels guilty about not blogging, and no it is not because I think you all thrive on my words of un-wisdom I just have guilt issues.

I am in a funk, I don’t know why. Okay I know a few reasons why but still, I am in a super major funk. Most times I get joy out of sharing my life with my loyal readers, I can’t wait to type up a post. I leave my blog window up on my computer all day long so I can check on you all and scribble down a few things. Right now the thought of blogging turns my stomach. I just don’t have the umph… so for the first time in a long time i am closing the window, and giving myself permission not to feel bad about it. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to be funk free… later

Another about me moment…

okay still to “something” to come up with my own. I stole this one from Ms. H over at Molding Young Minds.

 

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
okay i had to think about this and found my own answer to be a bit odd, I wash my hands first.

2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
I hate hoodies for several reasons, first I have students that won’t take the darn things off. Secondly I can’t stand them because hod up or down I feel as if I am being strangled. I hate anything around my neck. my husband can’t even hardly touch my neck.

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?.
It could be a short marriage if I said no

4. Do you plan outfits?
I try because then it cuts down on my get ready time  in the morning but most often I plan what I am going to wear between the first and second slaps of the snooze button.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
lightheaded

6. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?
a red pen, it is rare that they get used, all the other colors do but red just hangs out in the pen cup.

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
5 minutes ago I dreamed about taking a nap.

8. Did you meet anybody new today?
yes I had to tutor during my lunch and there were about 4 kids in there that I didn’t know

9. What are you craving right now?
Sleep, really need sleep

10. Do you floss?
Sometimes

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
Cabbage patch kids. I have very little dealings with the veggie

12. Are you emotional?
it’s like a roller coaster in here baby!

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
I count a lot. The steps I take. How long it takes me to perform certain functions (you don’t want to know), the ticks of the clock. I also group numbers when I count, liking counting to 100 includes counting to 10 ten times. Okay now I am totally lame and should have just answered yes.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
I don’t “bite” into it but I do “Chew” it. I have a huge fear of choking.

15. Do you like your hair?
I would like it much better if it would just stay on my head.

16. Do you like yourself?
Honestly most days, not really.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
I would, I didn’t agree with everything that he did but I admire the man for continuing on when so many were out to get him.

18. What are you listening to right now?
The A/C (for the first day) and the humm of the stupid server box!

19. Are your parents strict?
Maybe they were, I didn’t test the boundaries to much so I am unsure of how much they would have pushed back.

20. Would you go sky diving?
If I had the choice between that and crashing with the plane, sure.

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
I don’t mind it, but I never really eat it. Milk messes with me.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
I met the local TV news woman in 6th grade, she had cancer, she was tough. I thought she was a great person.

23. Do you rent movies often?
Never

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?
My classroom, yeah right. I did clean desks yesterday but they dirty up fast.

25. How many countries have you visited?
umm let’s see USA… Canada, the Airport in Amsterdam, the airport in Brussels and Germany so 

26. Have you made a prank phone call?
Not really but I am not always nice to telemarketers, I often “prank them”.

When I was in high school before I drove, I babysat for our youth pastor. One time a telemarketer called, he never asked if I was Ms. So-And-So, never asked how old I was, he just jumped in to his pitch about how I could get a free windshield if I got a few of my friends to buy windshields from his company. The kids were in bed and I had nothing better to do so I let him talk and talk. So finally he asks me for the make and model of my car so he could start the paper work. So I told him honestly (Huffy 12-Speed).

Just recently we have been getting calls that our car warranty is about to expire, I know 100% that this is not true. So one day, when avoiding house work, I stayed on the line and waited for a “real” person to talk to me. The guy comes on the line after about 15 minutes on hold and he goes into his pitch about how the warranty is about to expire on my car and how for some low, low price he can get me an extended warranty. I ask him what vehicle he is referring to. He tells me that they can warranty any vehicle I have. I ask him to clarify, any vehicle I have? He says yes mamm, if you drive it we can warranty it. I got all excited and told him to sign me up, that I couldn’t find anyone to warranty my 1965 Ford pick-up and how great it would be that now when it breaks down I can get it fixed. He told me that they couldn’t warranty something that old. I proceeded to act very upset and remind him that he told me if I drove it that he could warranty it. I argued with him for a while before I yelled at him for being a liar and told him never to call me again if he couldn’t follow through on him promises.

27. Ever been on a train?
yes, the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, big tourist thing to do, close to where I live. I am not a huge train fan so I wasn’t super ga-ga over it but the scenery was nice but man was I filthy when I got home.

28. Brown or white eggs?
white brown eggs freak me out and if they are green I have visions of what is inside being green too, so I just can’t bring myself to eat them.

29.Do you have a cell-phone?
I think the question needs to be, do you have a land-line phone. I have both

30. Do you use chap stick?
Not the chap-stick brand. I am loving me some Burt’s Bee’s

31. Do you own a gun?
My husband does, and he just bought one for me to carry so I guess I do. I just don’t think of them as mine but there are guns in my home.

32. Can you use chop sticks?
I could “use” them to poke out your eyes.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
i dream of being with just myself but that never happens, i have a shadow that follows me every where I go, I refer to him as babe. I can’t help it that I deal with peep’s all day long and he is alone most of the day, I just need some down time.

34. Are you too forgiving?
I forgive, I don’t often forget. As a teacher I “forgive” very little, rules are rules buddy!

35. Ever been in love?
yep, and those that I have fallen in love with, I still love.

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?
one will get up, play with the puppy, drink coffee with creamer, and maybe drive over the mountain. the other will get up, feed the kiddo, get ready for work, drop off the kiddo then go to work and chase kids around until it is time to go home.

37. Ever have cream puffs?
the cheap ones that you buy in the freezer section at the store are great, better if they stay frozen.

38. Last time you cried?
last week when I had a sick furry kitty

39. What was the last question you asked?
Any questions?

40. Favorite time of the year?
spring, when the spring flowers bloom

41. Do you have any tattoos?
i’ve thought about it but can’t commit to even a pair of shoes for very long so I think the ink is a little too much commitment.

42. Are you sarcastic?
Sometimes

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
the what?

44. Ever walked into a wall?
If you didn’t see me do it then nope, never have

45. Favorite color?
pale yellow, not school bus yellow just a soft yellow

46. Have you ever slapped someone?
I really don’t think so. at least not on purpose

47. Is your hair curly?
no, my hair is the opposite of curly. My hair is so straight that after noon, I look like I never bothered to give my hair any curl at all

48. What was the last CD you bought?
Anne Murray – The best so Far.

49. Do looks matter?
depends on what we are talking about. do I judge my students by looks – not really. Flowers by their looks, yes. men – kind of but since I am am married what does it matter

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
Cheater means something else to a teacher. I “forgive” but there is still a punishment and it best not happen again.

51. Is your phone bill sky high?
not really, more than I want to pay, yes but it could be so much higher

52. Do you like your life right now?
It will be much improved at 345

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?
I can, hubby can’t.

54. Can you handle the truth?
It might take me a while

55. Do you have good vision?
I can see things with out ever looking at a kid, or so they think

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
my mother taught me to hate no one but my list of people that make me want to jump into shark infested waters rather than be alone in a life boat with them is long.

57. Do you talk on the phone a lot?
somedays I do other days not at all.

58. The last person you held hands with?
my kitty, he like to “hold Hands”

59. What are you wearing?
blue capri’s and a white top and no shoes, I hate shoes

60.What is your favorite animal?
ducks, I want a duck!

61. Where was your default picture taken at?
what is a default picture?

62. Can you hula hoop?
kind of

63. Do you have a job?
I pay my bills, that requires work. in fact I have 2 jobs, 3 if you count the housewife stuff that doesn’t have a pay check

64. What was the last thing you bought?

food

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
yep

Swiped

Okay I stole this from Ms. LeesePea over at But Wait… she stole it from another teacher. That is what we teachers do, we take stuff from one another.

I would write something orginal but it is so much easier to just answer questions.

1. How did you come up with your blog title OR what does it mean?

I wanted somethin catchy and Mathy. You always hear about people being short something (few fries short of a happy meal, few cards short of a full deck) and as hard as I try to be the best in all that I do, I always fall a few degrees short of getting it just right.

 

2. What are your general goals for blogging?

Venting, I think my mother and ms. gee get tired of my phone calls where I complain about my day. Funny how they never miss a post though. I don’t think that I have anything important to say, nothing that will change the world but these thoughts keep running around in my head so I have to let them out somewhere.

 

3. Do people “in your real life” know that you blog and do they comment on your blog OR is it largely anonymous?
My mother reads my blog, I am super open and honest with her in life, so I am sure she is suprised at nothing I say. My good friend ms. gee reads my blog, we swap stories all the time. None of my coworkers or students know I have a blog. As a teacher, I try to keep my personal life a mystery to those around me. I don’t need to give a parent or student more ammo, they come up with enough on there own.

 

4. How often do you post (x per week)?
When I get around to it. I would like to be a daily poster and have something to say daily, but I don’t have a lot of spare time to write well thought out posts. And to be honest on my days off it is rare that I look at the computer.

5. How often do you read other blogs (x per week)?
I read the blogs on my blogroll daily, or as often as they post. Sometimes I just need an escape from my world. My routine is to get to school about an hour before I see kids (yes that is early) and I read blogs then. I need to be in my classroom at least that long to feel ready for my day. I may not be doing classroom things but I just need time to mentally prepare/

6. How do you select blogs to read (do you prefer blogs that focus on certain topics or do you choose by tone or…?)
I like teacher blogss where they talk about their kids. I am not a huge fan of political blogs or blogs that take sides on issues. I don’t read the heavy stuff. I need light hearted fun, complaints about someones day, just average every day stuff.

7. Do you have any plans to copy your blog entries in any other format, 0r do you think that one day, you’ll just delete it all?
I never thought of that until I read this question. I guess there are a few things I would like to keep.

8. What are the things you like best about blogging?
Free therapy! (this was Leesepea’s answer, I coun’t say it better)

9. What are the things you don’t like about blogging?
I feel bad when I don’t post something.

10. How do you handle comments?
I like to respond back. I have never gotten anything negative, I think I would just mentally call the person a jerk and then move on with my life.

11. Do you have any burning thoughts to share on blog etiquette?
Uh, no. Although I am not a fan of swearing on someone else’s blog. That is rude. If you want to swear use your blog, not someone elses

12. Any desired blog features?
Color, I like color.

13. Have you suffered blog addiction?
yeah

 

Super Scary

Just real quick.

Is it odd that no one in my classroom has said anything for the last 20 minutes?

No we are not taking a test. I never asked for quiet. No one is sleeping, 4 are working on todays assignment, 2 are reading, and 2 are working on homework for another class. We just finished 3 days of testing where the kids have been shipped here, there and everywhere and haven’t see each other.

I like the noise level to be low but this is bad. Even the bird that I could hear chirping through the A/C vent has stopped.

Okay this is just far to creepy. 25 minutes now with no noise…

So Are You Pregnant?

All right if you are looking for a teacher post, this is not it.

Men, this one might make you a little uncomfortable, Sorry.

If you are a family member/friend and are offend by this post, too bad. Maybe I have been offend by you lately. This post is not meant to offend anyone, I just want to voice an opinion.

Just a little background before I start. I am 26 years old. I have been married to my husband for almost 4 years, we have been together for nearly nine years. We have no children.

Recently I have heard the phrase, “So are you pregnant?” much more than I ever care to.

-When I have a food craving, (which I have all the time, I have for years). Some one always needs to ask, “So are you pregnant?’

-When I eat more than normal because I am hungry again I hear, “So are you pregnant?’

-When I am at that time of the month and my upstairs girl parts are hurting, I hear. “So are you pregnant?”

-The other day when my T-shirt was a little to big me I heard, “What is with that outfit, you look pregnant! Are you?”

-When I am dragging after a long week at school and those few 14 hour work days and I am tired, I still hear, “So are you pregnant?”

Here is the scoop people. I am not pregnant. I know my body and my life and I know with out a doubt that I am not pregnant. At this time my husband and I, feel children are not a good fit for us. We are not saying that we will never have children, we are just saying not right now, maybe someday, we’ll see.

So here is my gripe and this gripe had been on my mind a lot lately. How is it that we are so quick to forgive those who have unplanned pregnancies but not will to forgive those that have planned un-pregnancies? and when I say un-pregnancy I don’t mean get pregnant and then change that status, I do not believe in abortion.

My brother and his girlfriend had a child when they were both just a year out of high school. My nephew was unplanned and there was a bit of hype for a few months. You know the: “They are so young.” “They are not married.” “How can they afford this?” statements. Now 3 years later we hear nothing about the unplanned-ness of my nephew’s being. We hear nothing of how much easier their lives would be if this hadn’t happened. We hear nothing about the direction their lives have taken because of this unplanned event.

My BIL is dating a girl that is 20 years old and has a 2 year old little boy. At first there were whispers of “Oh, My!” “How sad” but now less than a year later, the little guy is accepted and loved and no one talks about his lack of a father, how young his mother is. Nope all is accepting on the home front. 

So in both situations, in about 3 years the talk has died. No one questions the situation. So why after almost 4 years of marriage and 6 years of dating do I still hear the whispers, still get the questions, still get the “Oh, how sad looks.” My husband and I have talked about children and are full aware that we are not ready to travel down that road. Why is our being responsible and planning to not have children at this time seen as such a bad thing? Don’t get me wrong if you have kids planned or unplanned, I have nothing against you, I think kids are great. How could I be a teacher if I hated children? (Okay I know some teachers hate kids, I don’t hate them) I just don’t understand why I get the looks of distain when I tell people that I am unsure if I will ever have kids. Maybe someday, I still have 8-9 years to decide, to change my mind. I just fear that I am going to be the person that at age 30 they still think “how sad, she doesn’t have kids.” If I wanted kids and couldn’t have them then it would be sad, but why is it sad that I made a choice that best fits me, my life and my spouse. I never make a decision lightly. I spend weeks planning a 3  day vacation, so the decision to not have children yet, if ever, is on that has been give much thought, much care and consideration and is evaluated often. Why is it so wrong that the answer is no?

So again I ask: How is it that we are so quick to forgive those who have unplanned pregnancies but not will to forgive those that have planned un-pregnancies?

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

i am sending you a slice of my cake! Yumm Yumm!

so after that…

So after all that, I got asked to chaperone prom next Saturday. Yeah because I have nothing else to do between the hours of 8:30-10:30PM.

So the note from the department head said :

• Directions will accompany the practice packets.  We need to improve our scores in any way that we can and all students, even if they are not in the 11th grade, will benefit from this practice.  You will need to make sure all students are participating to the best of your ability and collect the packets at the end of the class to be turned in to me on Tuesday to give to Mr. D.

Here is what I found in my mailbox this morning…

Math Teachers – Please make enough copies for all of your classes with 11th grade students. You may skip any problem that may be more advance than what your students have seen. You may choose to review some of these problems before Monday. Do as many as you possibly can and turn in all student work to me by Tuesday to give to Mr. D

Great Directions huh? Did she include an answer sheet to these problems? Nope! Are any of these problems multiple choice like over half of the test will be? Of Course NOT, that would make sense.

Maybe I should be sick Monday and get a four day weekend.

 

It’s a long ol’ story…

Okay get prepared people, this has been the week from heck and it is only Wednesday. Let me give you a peek into my yesterday.

My principal received this email yesterday morning:

Hello all,

I just wanted to send out a reminder about the MATH workshop follow-up conference call that will be held Thursday, April 9th from 1-3 pm (mountain time).  We will need to be discussing the projects that were implemented during the spring semester, your final push for the SBA and future math needs for the state.  

Please have a one to two minute overview of your Spring Semester Project ready to discuss with others and a one minute overview of any final strategic efforts that you did with Juniors for the SBA.  We will do a report out by region.

Thanks in advance for your participation.  

To which he sent me and ONE other person this (mind you there where 6 people as well as himself that were at the planning session)

Both of you will need to be in my office this Thursday from 1:00 – 3:00pm to participate in this conference call with all the other HSTW schools in New Mexico.  Be prepared to present a brief overview of what we have done on this project.  No sub. will work for us for a half a day so please try and find someone that will cover your classes during this time.  Thank you.

First of all I got peeved about the find your own “sub” comment. If figure if you want me to do something during classroom time then you find someone to cover my classes. Secondly I got more than peeved (yeah you know the word) that this email went out to myself and the welding teacher and no one else. So I replied:

The spring semester project was to be implemented in the Freshman Academy. Ms. Fin and Ms. Ley were supposed to be working on this one.

Then came his reply (hold on to your seats):

Ms. Fin was in my office when I was writing this and she told me to send it to you two.

Yeah so now I am totally beyond peeved. I asked Ms. Fin about this project before Spring Break and she sad she had nothing done. I told her she had better get with the program as we had a conference call the week we got back from Spring Break. She said it was okay that she could just “make something up”. I told her that we couldn’t do that, that I wouldn’t sit in a conference room with my boss and lie! She said she would come up with something. I offered her my help and she said that she could do it alone. So I reply back to the principal:

Mr. Henry and I haven’t done another project together this Spring. The plan was for Freshman Academy to get with the foods teachers are create the cookie boxes, which they would sell for mother’s day to the freshman academy students. Ms. Fin said she could implement this because she already had funds from her snack selling and could easily sell the cookies as part of her snack bar. 

I have a project that my students did but it didn’t involve career/tech teachers.

and the welding teacher replied to me:

 

Yes, I know I just called Mr. D and told him I was not involved in the spring project and that Ms. Fin was involved in this and was suppose to do a project with foods. You need to email or call him and let him know. Ms. Fin told Mr. D that this was me and your project and I was upset and called him and told him I wasn’t involved in this project this time and I told him you was not involved either. But you need to let him know it was Ms. Fin. Ms. Fin is telling him the we are suppose to do the presentation. 

Ms. Fin drop the ball again and this time I am not taking the blame and I am not going to attend the meeting and take the fall for this one. This really upsets me and I told Mr. D I was not involved with this project this time so I wouldn’t have anything to say.

The next hour was my prep so I called Mr. Henry and we complained and were both outraged that she tried to cover her own hiney by putting ours on the line. Come to find out Mr. Henry talked to Mr. D before spring break to let him know that the ball had been dropped. I warned Mr. D when we planned this project that I wouldn’t be doing it with my classes. After much discussion I recieved a reply from the big guy”

Apparently this never happened.  Anyway, Ms. Fin and Ms. Ley will now be at this meeting so you will not need to be here.  Thanks so much.

He knew that the project wasn’t being done 3 weeks ago, I guess he forgot that he was forewarned. I guess I could send him that round of emails as a reminder. Not longer after all of this took place. I received this email from the head of the English Department (remember I teach Math):

Just a note in case no one else has informed you—Ms.  Planty from HSTW will visit us on Monday, April 13.  I suggested that the Literacy Committee discuss some ways/projects to generate enthusiasm/buy in with the faculty and Literacy Across the Curriculum.  Since you both have 3rd hour preps, I think Mr. D scheduled you to meet with her then to discuss this problem and also talk about ideas you might have from the Webinar.  

Call if you want more information about our discussion.

There are 15 other people on that freakin’ committee, why me? Oh yeah because I am one of 3 who might actually do something. So I give up my prep Monday for this. Tuesday for Testing, Wednesday for early release, AND thursday for testing. Okay then I am hanging my head, ready to give up and I get this email from our department head:

• Teachers of 11th graders:
• On Monday, April 13th we will set aside that day to practice in each of our math classrooms for the SBA.   This does not include the 9th grade classes that are not mixed. Each teacher that has 11th graders (any) in their classes will go over a pre-printed packet to ensure that all the students will have been reviewed in these specific areas.  Directions will accompany the practice packets.  We need to improve our scores in any way that we can and all students, even if they are not in the 11th grade, will benefit from this practice.  You will need to make sure all students are participating to the best of your ability and collect the packets at the end of the class to be turned in to me on Tuesday to give to Mr. D.  Students should be given a participation grade ( or extra credit?) so that participation is encouraged.  Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated and hopefully our scores going up will be our reward.
• I apologize in advance for the disruption in your schedules.  I know it involves moving things around for you and I am deeply sorry we had such a late notice on doing this.

Okay so I am thinkin’  1. where is this packet, 2. where did it come from, 3. who created the instructions, 4. how long is the assignment, 5. why were we giving 3 days notice, 6. when will we get the packets, 7. who thinks 1 day of review is really going to help?, 8. what about the plans i already had to review, 9. what about the review you told all of us to do 2 weeks ago? was that one not important, since it is what I am doing monday, which is more important, 10. whos dumm a_ _ed idea was this anyway??

So is it any wonder I am ready to quit. or at least disable my email account?

She says the dummest things…

Okay Ms. Gee posts cute things that she hears her students saying, I think I need to start one for our office lady. If you don’t remember her antics look here or here or even here.

Monday she paged “freshmens” to the gym and then had to remind us that freshmen are ninth graders and only ninth graders. My students caught this slip up. I ignore her most days now.

I couldn’t ignore her yesterday when she said “Sammy Smith your country needs you, thanks for your consideration.”

Who says stuff like this?

I’m Fired Up!

Okay read this article (I know it is long but you will survive):

Samantha Hillstrom
CNN Production Assistant

I’m about to talk about two little words that make most people cringe. The mere mention of these words usually incites the same reaction in everyone: a) fear b) denial c) a throbbing headache and d) the desire to run away screaming and crying and begging to go to a “happy place.” Yes, I am talking about STUDENT LOANS. If you don’t have one, you know someone who does and you sympathize with them. In the midst of the credit crisis, home foreclosures and bailout turmoil, the amount of debt that graduates are facing is overwhelming.

I am 23-years-old, two years out of college and I am sitting on $115,000 of student debt. And based on my lender’s loan terms, I only have roughly 12 years to pay it off. How much does that make my monthly payment, you ask? A whopping $1,200 a month. And let’s just say my lifelong dream career in television doesn’t lend itself to that. The only option my bank is giving me is to go on “graduated repayment plan.” That means that for four years I will only be paying off the interest every month. How much is that? Well, $115,000 with interest rates between 4-8%… that’s about $600 a month and that doesn’t even touch the principal amount. People don’t pay off houses in 12 years and I am expected to pay off this student loan in an entry level position?

Some might say, “Sam, you shouldn’t have gone to a private school in New York City if you wouldn’t be able to pay it off.” Well, I made a lot of mistakes when signing up for my loans, but I was uneducated on the process and on the repayment and now I’m stuck. I share the same anxiety as the families struggling to pay their mortgages. How was I ever to expect the financial crisis that was going to happen and where can I get some help?

And why do I have such a short amount of time to pay off my loans? Because of the current financial crisis. Due to the economic downturn, my lender isn’t consolidating loans. If I were able to consolidate, my repayment time would extend to 30 years…just like a home mortgage. Now that wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem, in that I would still owe more than $500 a month with the principal and interest, but it would buy me a bit more time and stretches out the money.

Here is my question: why aren’t student loans receiving the same attention, same care and forgiveness as every other loan in America? I have to say that I am lucky to have a job right now and was especially lucky to get a job right out of college. Can you imagine what kind of pressure and stress the 2009 graduates are feeling in this time of uncertainty? Veterans of the workforce can’t find work right now. What about the recent college grads with no work experience and tens of thousands of dollars of unforgivable debt underneath them?

There is a grain of hope that will come when the Income-Based Repayment Plan, part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, will take effect on July 1. The program will cap off borrower’s monthly payments at 10% of their gross income for 25 years with the rest of the debt being forgiven. However, that only applies to federal loans (which is only one of my four loans).

According to the Federal Education Department, in 2009, the amount of outstanding federal student loans is $544 billion, up $42 billion from last year. Where is our bailout? Where are our options? The default rate on student loans this year is already at 6.9%. That’s a 13% increase from last year.

Recently, Rev. Jesse Jackson started a campaign called “Reduce the Rate” urging the Obama administration to reduce the interest rates of student loans to 1%….the same amount of interest the banks are getting.

Jackson’s plan proposes the following…

• Reduce the interest rate on all student loans to 1%.
• If banks can borrow at 1% or less, then so should our students.
• Extend the grace period before loan repayment begins from 6 months to 18 months for students who graduate.
• In these tough economic times, it takes a college graduate an average of 6 months to 1 year to find a job. The rules should reflect this reality.
• End the penalties assessed to schools for student loan defaults.
• Schools should not be held accountable for students who don’t pay back their loans.
• Increase Pell Grants to cover the average yearly cost of a public
• 4 year institution instead of the amounts in the current stimulus package–$5,350 starting July 1 and $5,550 in 2010-2011

Source: Reducetherate.org

I chose to go to a private school and I chose to work in a field where the starting salaries are low. Does that mean that I chose to live a life of struggle, wondering how I am going to pay my rent, afford the basics of living and still stay in my chosen career field…all while putting up with high interest rates and an amount of debt that brings me to tears?

Does that mean that you chose to live a life full of hardships? You bet your sweet booty! You CHOOSE this life, no one forced you to pay more for school than some pay for houses (okay not often in this day) no one forced you to enter this career field. I have student loans totaling 16, 300 I now owe just over 12,000 and have been out of school for less than 4 years. Before I could get the loan money I had to take an entrance exam that made me fully aware that I shouldn’t take more money than I need and I shouldn’t take more money than I would be able to pay back. The exam made me look at what my starting payments would be and compare that to an entrance level salary. I took what I needed, which was more than I would have liked but my loan money didn’t buy my food, buy my car, put gas in that car. I worked I had a job and I went to school. Something tells me this was not the case for this “poor” woman.

Lets rephrase your words my dear and see how it changes the view: I chose to go to buy a home. Does that mean that I chose to live a life of struggle, wondering how I am going to pay my bills afford the basics of living and the upkeep of a house…all while putting up with high interest rates and an amount of debt that brings me to tears? Again I say YOU CHOSE!

Lets try one more time: I chose to go to a have a child. Does that mean that I chose to live a life of struggle, wondering how I am going to pay my rent, afford the basics of living and the cost of a child…all while putting up with high emotional toll and an amount of debt that only gets larger that brings me to tears? Again I say, YOU CHOSE!

 If you want people to pay you for getting educated, get scholarships, internships… I think it is great that more and more people are getting educated but we live in the real world where everything costs something and no one gives you anything for free, they all want to be paid back. If you wanted Uncle Sam to pay for your school then you should have served in the armed forces and he would have been happy to pay for your schooling (not all because you aren’t FORCED to go to a private richy-rich school).

You can not blame your choices on others. Most of all you can’t blame this on someone else, not when they REQUIRE you to be so informed about your choices. Remember when you point your finger, there are 3 more pointing back at you.