Joyce Willson, Hansville Published 8:31 a.m. PT March 20, 2020

Thank you, Kitsap Sun, for addressing the coaches stipends in your March 19th article, 'Not all school districts planning to pay coaches.'

As the article noted, most districts plan to pay coaches. Unfortunately, the North Kitsap School District (NKSD) intends to pay the coaches for only eight days, a prorated amount for the time before everything was called off. Why is NKSD refusing to pay these hardworking, dedicated employees? The money saved by not paying coaches is only a small part of the more significant savings of canceling all sports.

Coaches get paid for the season they coach, which does not account for the actual work they perform during the off season. Coaches spend time planning for the season, assess equipment needs, take classes, fundraise, work with parents, and many other activities.

When you ask anyone, Who was the most influential person during your high school years? the majority answer, my coach. Coaches spend more time with students than most other school employees. They are with students a minimum of three hours a day, six days a week. Besides coaching, they provide life skills, positive attitudes, lessons on sportsmanship, and the rewards of hard work.

Coaches have not stopped coaching because of the suspension of spring sports. They continue to provide general suggestions to their athletes on how to stay in shape, how to improve their technique, and keep parents updated.

NKSD needs to take a lesson from the other Kitsap County schools and pay their coaches!

Joyce Willson, Hansville

Read or Share this story: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/opinion/readers/2020/03/20/north-kitsap-needs-pay-its-coaches/2884119001/

See original here:
North Kitsap needs to pay its coaches - Kitsap Sun

A little less than four months since SCCC approved fielding New Jerseys first junior-college football program, Todd Poltersdorf, the Skylanders head coach and schools director of admissions, said there are just shy of 70 players committed to compete in its opening season.

If the season started tomorrow, the Sussex County Community College football program would have more than enough players to line up for kickoff.

A little less than four months since SCCC approved fielding New Jerseys first junior-college football program, Todd Poltersdorf, the Skylanders head coach and schools director of admissions, said there are just shy of 70 players committed to compete in its opening season.

The overwhelming support from the community has been awesome, Poltersdorf said. Everybody keeps saying the same message: Finally! Its finally here! I think its important. Obviously its the first one, thats historical, but the support, not only on our campus but in the county, has been great.

The jerseys and helmets are ordered and workout plans initiated for the Skylanders inaugural team. A staff of seven coaches is now in place.

Poltersdorf can begin holding practice for a limited time in mid-June with official camp due to begin on Aug. 3.

The Skylanders have 10 games scheduled and will play their home games on Saturday nights at Newton High School. They are set to open the season on Aug. 29 at Hocking Community College in Nelsonville, Ohio.

We are looking forward to the addition of football, as well as wrestling, to our athletic offerings, SCCC athletic director John Kuntz said. These two sports will help to generate more excitement about SCCC sports, and Im sure will add more success to our already successful sports team.

Poltersdorf has spent the last three months speaking to high school coaches across the state and attending clinics to get the word out about the new program. Some coaches learned the news and reached out to Poltersdorf themselves.

The team has recruited throughout the state of New Jersey, along with Pennsylvania, New York and as far as Washington, D.C.

We wanted to establish recruiting ties in the state of New Jersey where we could start building a relationship with high school coaches and being able to have kids transition to us, Poltersdorf said. Thats important. In anything you do in life, you need to have relationships.

Coaches need to trust you that youre taking care of their kids and youre going to help those kids move onto the next level. Thats the blessing of being able to say were the first program is we can establish those ties in some of the areas in New Jersey.

The creation of SCCCs football team will also allow area fans to watch some of Sussex Countys high school standouts for another two years.

Former Herald Player of the Year Jacob Mafaro of Kittatinny, along with 2019 Herald First Teamers Nick Molinari of Lenape Valley, Sussex Techs Brendan Hall, Hopatcongs Roger White and Wallkill Valleys Cole Weekley, are all committed to play for the Skylanders next fall.

Its really about trying to find the pieces to the puzzle that are going to fit your offense, fit your defense and trying to build, Poltersdorf said. When you build any team, you want kids that are going to fit your scheme and your system. It wasnt a question of, Hey, lets take this kid because hes a body.

From the beginning, it was about, What kids are going to fit us best at what were going to try to do from an offensive standpoint and from a defensive standpoint?

Poltersdorf, who spent the last six seasons coaching between Sussex Tech and Wallkill Valley, said he expects the Skylanders to deploy a power-running scheme on offense.

On defense, where Poltersdorf has spent most of his time coaching recently, SCCC hopes to fly to the ball and play physical.

Were going to be a team that tries to control the ball, the line of scrimmage and the possession time, Poltersdorf said. We want those things in our favor and we want to be able to keep some of the high-powered offense that were playing on the sideline as long as possible. To do that, it starts with having a physical mentality.

Around 50 of the committed players have already met with the staff to begin a lifting program.

Now, Poltersdorf has to make sure everything else is in place to start practicing less than three months from now.

And he will try to continue to build a strong foundation to sustain the SCCC football program for many years to come.

I hope we continue to get to our numbers, Poltersdorf said. Our goal has always been to get to that 70 or 75, which I definitely think well get to. I would really love to see us get to that 85 or 90 mark, thats where Im pushing to go now.

I have to thank the support of the community and the school and everybody who has been involved in this process. I think its going to be awesome.

See the rest here:
SCCC football on strong foundation to start - New Jersey Herald

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

Kylie Tolman has started up a charity which cares for cancer patients once their treatment is finished.

When Kylie Tolman found a lump in her breast 12 years ago at the age of 30, she assumed it was a cyst.

She was too young for cancer, there was no history of the disease in her family, and she'd hadcysts before, so feltno need to panic.

But when she went to have it checked by her doctor, she was thrown a curve ball that turned her life upside down.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF

After having both breasts removed, Kylie Tolman has learned to love her body and hopes by showing her "battle scars" she will inspire others.

"Luckily my GP was really onto it straight away and sent me for a biopsy and a mammogram," she said."Within seven days I was diagnosed."

READ MORE: *It's hard to hide the reality of cancer treatment from a child *Life-extending breast cancer drug Ibrance to be fully funded from April

It was stage three of an aggressive triple negativebreastcancera rare form of the illness that does not have any of the receptors commonly found in breastcancer.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF

Kylie Tolman, happy, healthy and confident after breast cancer.

"It really hadn't been on my radar so it was all a real blur.

"Making the call to my mum was really tough."

Tolman had no time to process the diagnosis as she went from one appointment to the next on auto pilot.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

Tolman founded C.A.R.E.S. Charitable Trust to help cancer patients adjust to the new normal once their treatment is finished.

Her best chance was a full mastectomyand, because of the cancer's aggressive nature, she had no time for breast reconstruction before her treatment needed to start.

She had one breast and18 lymph nodes removed from her armpit.

"Losing my breastdidn't worry me, I just wanted [the cancer] gone."

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

With mental health services stretched in Canterbury, the charity fills some of the gaps.

After chemotherapy she looked into reconstruction and had her other breast removed, which alleviated worry about whether the cancer would return.

She had silicone implants fitted two years after the surgery but never felt comfortable with them they always felt tight. Shehad them removed when they rupturedin 2018.

"I told my surgeon 'I want them out and I don't want them back'. It was the best thing I ever did."

Rhea Duffy - Photographer

With the support of husband Andrew and sons Olly, 14, and Louie, 6, Kylie Tolman has learned to love herself again.

Her husband, Andrew, was 100 per cent behind her decision, she said, and never thought she was less of a woman he was just focused on her health.

"My breasts don't define me. Everyone is different but you can learn to embrace your body, and you can still look sexy without breasts," Tolman said.

"Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes anyway, so what is normal?"

Rhea Duffy - Photographer

Tolman had both breasts removed and received implants, but later had those removed too.

But Tolman hadn't always been as accepting of herself. Back home and recovering after the initial treatment and hospital appointments, she began to feel quite low.

She had the Cancer Society meetings and great family and friends supporting her, socouldn't understand why she was so emotional.

"Mental health, or PTSD, it wasn't talked about much, and I really struggled emotionally. I felt like a failure for not feeling happy to be alive."

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF

Kylie Tolman says her breasts do not define her.

About four years ago, Tolmanwent on a personal development journey and began to accepther feelings werenormal.

"I started sharing my story and got a life coaching certificate to get the tools to help other people find their new normal."

She formed C.A.R.E.S. Charitable Trust in July to fill the gap left by overloaded mental health services, particularly in Christchurch.

She now coordinates speakers, helps establish local networksand provides support for anyone who has finished cancer treatment.

The charity has a closed Facebook page for people to share their stories and support each other.

"Cancer is becoming more prevalent, and over time the needs are going to be bigger and bigger.

"[C.A.R.E.S.]in North Canterbury at the moment but I would love to take it nationwide."

Tolman said there was already some supportavailable for people who had finished treatment, but it included people at various stages of the illness and treatment process.

"For some people they don't want those triggers, to be reminded of what they went through, so [C.A.R.E.S.] is specifically for people who have finished treatment."

The charity is a finalist fora MainPower Community Grant, voting for which closes on Friday.

Stuff

Read the original:
Breast cancer at 30, double mastectomy - and removing implants 'best thing I ever did' - Stuff.co.nz

Chris Kennedy of Southington will take over as the head football coach of St. Paul Catholic High School for the 2020 fall season replacing long-time coach Jude Kelly who has retired after 46 years of coaching high school football in Connecticut.

Kennedy said in a press release, I couldnt be more excited or proud to be the next head football coach at St. Paul. My goal is to take the next steps in our progression to being a perennial contender within our division and the NVL. Ive spent well over two decades preparing for this opportunity and am beyond ready to get to work.

Kennedy played for Kelly at Southington High School. For the past 16 years, he served as one of the head assistant coaches, a head offensive and/or defensive coordinator under Kelly.

Kelly said in a press release, Chris is a great leader; a hard worker; he understands and can relate to the players he coaches. I wish him well and am confident the players he coaches will learn valuable life skills and lessons on the football field that they will then represent positively in the St. Paul classrooms and community.

St. Paul Athletic Director, David Dennehy said in a press release, I am very excited for the future of the Falcon football program under Coach Kennedys leadership. His passion and knowledge of the game is evident if you spend 30 seconds with him. Having been part of our school community for the past 16 years he understands what our school community is all about and is committed to supporting our core values and instilling the values and life lessons that come with the game of football that go well beyond wins and losses.

Kennedy also has coached the St. Paul boys lacrosse coach since 2016. As coach, he has helped to put St. Paul win two league titles and earn four straight state tournament appearances.

Read the original:
St. Paul taps Kennedy as new football coach - The Southington Observer

SPEAKING Weir High coach Tony Filberto speaks to his team following the Red Riders defeat to Fairmont Senior at the Class AA semifinals on Nov. 24, 2018. -Joe Catullo

One of the things retired Weir High football coach Tony Filberto is sure of right now is that he made the right decision to retire at age 70.

Today, its the right decision, said Filberto, who got his first taste of football way back in 1958 at the age of 8 as a quarterback on the first Wellsburg Colts team. Well have to wait and see as we get into summer and fall and so on.

This is his second retirement, and who knows? Maybe hell get the itch again to coach like he did in 2008 when he got back into it as head coach at Oak Glen High School. Then, he took a team that had won three games in the previous three years and went to the playoffs three straight years.

I have been fortunate to cover his head coaching career in the 2000s. I wrote about his Weir High teams from 2002-04 and when he came back to the Red Riders in 2012. I also talked to him weekly when he coached at Oak Glen from 2008-11, writing preview stories for the Thursday football preview tab and also covering a few of the Golden Bear games.

There were times when his teams lost a close game or things just didnt go right on Friday nights, and probably times when I called weekly (usually on Mondays) for the preview that he had other things he either should be doing or preferred to be doing.

On those rare occasions, he always was gracious, answered all the questions I presented and did it as a professional. He seemed to have a short-term memory and put those things behind him and look forward to the next challenge.

I saw him in the locker room at Weir High a couple of weeks ago when I was there to talk about the baseball preview with the diamond coaches and said, Im going to miss you. He replied, Im going to miss you, too.

I think we developed a bond of trust where he knew without us saying it that I wasnt there for sensationalism, but to simply report on Weir High football and give the players the credit and publicity they deserved. And I know he was there to work with the players and make them the best they could be on and off the field.

In our recent interview, Tony talked about one of the things he is taking with him is the relationships he has had with so many young men over the nearly 42 years of coaching. He noted that more than a few of his former charges still call or send cards and letters or communicate via email and social media. Thats special to me, he said.

Tony and his wife, Roseanna, are special people gracious perhaps because of their Italian heritage. I hardly know Roseanna, except for saying hello to her once in a while after a football game at Jimmy Carey Stadium when she always went to the sideline for a moment with her husband. But, on one occasion, she invited me to their home for Sunday dinner. I couldnt do it at the time, but I know I missed out on a scrumptious pasta meal.

I grew up in downtown Steubenville amongst a lot of Italian families with kids my age and still remember fondly their graciousness when one of my friends would invite me in for a Sunday family dinner. Like the Olive Garden slogan: When I was in their home, I felt like family.

I also remember being in Tonys office in the locker room at Weir High, interviewing him for the annual preview of our teams published in the award-winning Gridiron. It usually was when the team had a break between the morning and afternoon practice sessions. Tony always had several brown lunch bags on his desk, and he would go into the locker room and ask if anyone forgot their lunch. The kids knew they could get one in his office. Tony told me that Roseanna would make those lunches in the early morning before he left his Wellsburg home for the pre-season practices on hot early August days.

Tony joked abut perhaps retiring at the wrong time.

Its funny. You retire and want to do all these things, and with this virus youre not allowed to do anything, he said. I do get to take a nice long walk in the mornings with the dog, and thats something I seldom got to do. I should have stayed and worked and got to stay at home like everybody else and still got paid.

Filberto did a lot of things on the football field with numerous playoff appearances, was part of a state championship (1998) as an assistant coach and was inducted last year into the West Liberty Hall of Fame where he lettered four years and received ALL-WVIAC honors as a smallish lineman (220 pounds). He rebuilt football programs at Oak Glen and Weir High (twice) that were on life support before he took the head job.

In his first stint at Oak Glen, he coached the West Virginia Hunt Award recipient, Jeff Woofter, who went on to star as a Penn State lineman. Woofter became the head football coach at Oak Glen, and Filberto followed him when he got back into coaching in 2008. He also coached Quincy Wilson, who won the Kennedy Award as the best player in the state, along with Zac Cooper, the top defensive player in the state.

But, he said the high point of his coaching career was when his sons, Joe and Eric, played on the Weir High football team in 1997 and the state championship team in 1998. That family affair was special to him.

Another special time for him was the 1998 state championship game at Wheeling Island Stadium when the Red Riders, before a standing-room only crowd, beat DuPont in a 20-17 thriller for the Class AA title. I remember it was 64 degrees at game time on the first Saturday in December, and they had to set up additional bleachers in the end zones to accommodate the crowd, he said.

Filberto, the winningest football coach in Oak Glen history and the second winningest in Weir High history, said he thinks hell be involved in the game of football in some way. He already has done a football roundtable with several other Ohio Valley coaches on WTRF-TV, and he also will stay involved with the Ohio Valley Coaches Association.

He said doing traveling coaching clinics like the one he hosted at Weir High the last couple of years interests him.

They have a circuit and I think I would like to try that, he said. I wouldnt do the Xs and Os, but I think my strongest point is in program building. I twice rebuilt Weir High and once a Oak Glen so I think I could help some coaches in that area.

Whatever he does, it will be a long way from Brooke High School where he won all-state honors, or West Liberty as assistant coach at tiny Jewett-Scio where he took his first coaching job in 1974 and got his first head coaching experience in 1975, or a year working in a coal mine, or his head coaching stints learning the hard way as a young man at Oak Glen and Madonna, or a number of years as an assistant at Weir High under Dan McGrew and Wayne Neely.

With more and more calls to postpone the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus outbreak, its worth noting ...

Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and Jadeveon Clowney didnt have to wait long to find homes in the NFL when they came ...

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver finds himself almost constantly looking at financial numbers and projections. And like ...

Jack Conklin helped make Derrick Henry a rushing champion in Tennessee. The Browns wouldnt mind if he made ...

Read the original here:
COLUMN: What made Filberto a legend was everything - The Daily Times

The term "threadbare" can evoke opposing images: that of careworn clothing, worn down to the last stitch by income-conscious clientele and, opposing that, of distressed threads, broken in and sold at exorbitant prices to fashion-forward consumers of considerable means.

Eugenes Threadbare Press, however, presents a third model: that of proprietors hawking self-awareness while printing on apparel, disclosing the potential environmental and human impact of the clothing that they vend.

For 10 years, founder Amy Baker has maintained Threadbare as a tiny business with a big voice calling for positive change in a massive industry. It has, in turn, allowed Threadbare to provide customers with another option in creating screen-printed textiles.

We are a small organization doing lots of small things to be sustainable, Baker said.

This includes using less water, composting waste and making sure that employees drink from reasonable mugs. The largest influence they can have is, of course, in the process of creating screen-printed apparel.

Environmental consequences

The T-shirt. A wonderful sign board that declares beliefs, lack of belief, intentions, perspective and where loyalties lie. The T-shirt can motivate marathon training, bring pride to community thespians and drive political campaigns. But even the utilitarian cool of the simple white tee carries a massive environmental impact.

The World Wildlife Foundation says that it takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce enough cotton for one T-shirt, enough to fill more than 30 bathtubs. And, according to the nonprofit guide sustainyourstyle.org, the apparel industry accounts for 20 percent of the worlds industrial water pollution. Sustainyourstyle.org also cites that textile manufacturing is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions.

In response, Threadbare seeks to source its cotton tees from domestic sustainable sources. Bella + Canvas, for example, manufactures its shirts in California, using one-seventh of the usual required amount of water, in part because of the states stringent water regulations.

Why not use an alternative to cotton then? In fact, most of the industry doesnt.

Waterfootprint.org states that in 2017, only about a quarter of textiles were made from cotton. Nearly 60 percent came from fully synthetic, petroleum-based polyester. Ecocult.com, however, notes that polyester production is a carbon-intensive non-renewable resource that consumes more than 70 billion barrels of oil annually. Polyester fabric is not biodegradable and will persist in the ecosystem even as it breaks down. In fact, The Guardian found that synthetic garments could be the biggest source of microplastic pollution in the worlds waterways.

That's why Threadbare uses cotton to produce almost all of its T-shirts.

'It doesnt smell like a print shop'

Today, Threadbares clients include local breweries, arts and culture organizations and nonprofits. They can print on T-shirts, caps, bandanas and even backpacks.

Baker began the business when she wanted to learn about screen printing as a hobby.

And I had friends with businesses looking for screen-printed T-shirts for their companies and projects, Baker said. All Oregon Art Supply had were water-based inks, so thats what I got in the first place.

With water-based inks, pigments mix with water and stick to fabric as the water dissolves. The alternative, PVC-based plastisol inks, bind better and attach to polyester and blended fabrics, while water-based inks only work with cotton. These PVC-based plastisol inks, though, have the potential to leak microplastics into water systems, so Threadbare doesnt use them.

As opposed to water-based inks, solvents dissolve as plastisol inks bind to fabric, creating an awful smell and toxic environment for screen printers.

This is something production manager Brit Howard said people notice immediately upon entering Threadbare.

People are always surprised that it doesnt smell like a print shop in here, Howard said.

Threadbare wont use plastisol and therefore doesnt use polyester clothing, which eliminates quite a few potential clients. It's a compromise the shop is willing to take.

You cant drink it (water-based ink), but its a better alternative even if its not 100% non-toxic, Baker said. If everybody in the supply chain does their part, it can get a little bit better along the way.

The biggest environmental hazards for screen printers are the toxic glues and aerosol adhesives that attach textiles to print pallets. These adhesives have the potential to soak into screen printers skins and to poison lungs in addition to the atmosphere.

That's why Threadbare chose Ryonet of Vancouver, Washington, to supply its inks and adhesives as well as its screen line soybean-based cleaning agent as an alternative to potentially toxic industrial cleaning agents.

Ryonets Project 376 not only aims to improve the application of water-based inks, but also seeks to eliminate noxious adhesives and glues and the corrosive solvents often used to clean screens and printing plates. Eradicating noxious fumes from the work environment provides Threadbare employees a better place to work.

I also dont get headaches because we arent using solvents and putting that awful stuff down the drain," Howard said.

Keeping the customer at the forefront

One of the areas largest screen printing firms, Eugene Silkscreen Inc., was founded in 1985 but keeps up with industry trends.

Theres been a lot of change and a lot of improvement in the industry, President Bryan Cunningham said. Shoot, in 1986 there was still lead in the ink.

Being a local industry leader means catering to Eugene Silkscreens diverse customers needs. According to Cunningham, nobody is looking for cotton anymore, thanks to the soft, giving feel of tri-blend (cotton, rayon and polyester) and polyester fabrics.

Weve got shirts that are polyester and they feel great, but we can't print on them with (water-based inks), Cunningham said.

Eugene Silkscreen is cognizant of the materials used in its shop. It uses a variation of adhesives depending on the garment and printers preference. This includes some non-aerosol options like sticky paper and a nontoxic paste that adheres to the printing pallet. This applies to cleaners as well, with the firm using a citrus-based cleaner to clean most of its inks.

The unfortunate thing is that the prices on this have tripled in the last couple of years, Cunningham said. It still works better than all of the other products I have found and is better for the environment.

Ultimately it comes down to whether the client is willing to pay more.

I've had a client that says, I want 100% U.S., and then we source it and they go, I don't pay that, Cunningham said. Theyre putting their money where their mouth is.

Active awareness is the key

Threadbares philosophy is that it may lose options (and customers) but gain the ability to reduce its environmental impact while educating its clients.

Theres not enough clear information for consumers out there, Baker said. I am very aware of all of the greenwashing (a company presenting itself as environmentally friendly to improve its image). There needs to be more truthfulness around this industry.

In order to promote this candor, Baker sits on the board of the Specialized Graphic Industry Association, a trade organization that gathers the worlds print shop owners for once-a-month conference calls and yearly education conferences to inform each other and, in turn, the public on industry options.

People are very resistant to change, but being open to everything is how we grow, Baker said. Its good that were a company trying to do this, but there needs to be a massive change. Big shifts have to happen at the industry level.

Contact reporter Matthew Denis at mdenis@registerguard.com or 541-338-2265 and follow him on Instagram @CAFE_541. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.

Go here to see the original:
CAFE 541: For Eugene screen printer Threadbare Press, its all about sustainability and reducing environmental impact - The Register-Guard

No, we did not collectively hallucinate this

Okay yes, weve all seen the Imagine video. Well those of us on Twitter have, and yes its stupid and everyone knows its stupid and were already into the phase of celebrity Imagine video memes. But hey ho, it has been really fun to laugh at Gal Gadot et als total lack of self-awareness because its nice to laugh about something.

If you havent seen it, all you need to know is that it features about 25 celebs, including Amy Adams, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig, Jamie Dornan, Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon, singing John Lennons Imagine and its just as tone-deaf as you could well imagine. Buh-dum-tss.

The good news is that we now have memes about it, and as we all know memes are the one true commodity that will see us through the next three months of quarantine, so sit back, relax, and enjoy laughing at celebrities being stupid.

1) THEY SENT ME THE WRONG SONG

2) GET THEM ONTIKTOK FOR GODS SAKE

3) THE BREAKING IS A NICE TOUCH

4) PLS DONT MAKE ME

5) VINE REFERENCES ARE THE TONIC WE NEED

6) WHY DONT THEY JUST SELF-ISOLATE IN THEIR MANSIONS

7) SELF-AWARENESS? I DONT KNOW HER

8) YES THE DERRY GIRLS ARE JUST IT

9) THANK CHRIST HE WASNT TBH

10) AWKS

11) IS THIS SATIRE?

12) TRUER WORDS WEER NEVER SPOKEN

13) SAME TBH

14) IM ON MY WAY!!

15) THIS IS *THE* TAKE

16) THANK U FOR UR WISE WORDS HUN X

17) JOB DONE!

18) NOW IT SOUNDS EVEN MORE OUT OF TUNE

19) YOUVE MADE IT FAR ENOUGH IN FOR A SAILOR MOON MEME

20) GRILLIONS OF DOLLARS

21) AT LEAST SOMEONE IS APOLOGISING

Here are 24 savage memes responding to Vanessa Hudgens coronavirus video

The expandemic: How coronavirus is making your ex slide into the DMs

Theres a quarantine version of Love Is Blind happening on Instagram right now

Visit link:
Celebrity Imagine video memes: 21 of the best reaction's to Gal Gadot et al - The Tab

The term happiness curriculum has been in the news in the recent past,and almost everyone in Delhi is familiar with it. The First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Melania Trump, during her maiden visit to India, attended a happiness class at a government school in Delhi and interacted with its teachers and students. While the FLOTUS and other guests were watching a cultural performance happening on the stage, a little boy in the audience started dancing and won their admiration. Witnessing the jolly kids impromptu dance, Mrs. Trump too smiled at the student, applauded and expressed her joy. It was an incident of joy in action.

The Aam Aadmi Party governments Happiness Curriculum scheme launched in 1,030 Delhi government schools in 2018, has been hailed as a major school education reform in the country. The scheme that targets students from kindergarten to class VIII is seen as a shift from exam-and-marks-oriented education to holistic education with the focus on cognition, literacy, numeracy, values, and learner well-being.

Is learning a joyful experience for learners in India? Do children really learn what they need to, in order to lead a happy life? What are the factors that affect effective learning and act as hurdles for joyful learning? Does our education system prepare students for life or for exams and career? These questions arise when we think of happiness curriculum and happy schooling.

Why happiness curriculum?

The World Happiness Report 2019, published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which ranks countries on citizens well-being, ranked India 140 out of 156 countries. Finland topped the list for the second year in a row whereas India slipped from 133rd position in 2018 to 140th position in 2019. This gloomy picture makes us raise questions: Why are Indians not happy? Is there any link between our education system and our happiness quotient?

The purpose of education is to prepare students to lead a joyful and purposeful life. To translate this vision into action, the system should have sound curriculum and educators. The moral responsibility of such educators is to produce happy individuals who find joy in what they learn and meaning in what they do. The purpose of such curriculum is to help students develop self-awareness, boost confidence, improve mental wellness, build character, and instil values in them in order to enable them to encounter problems boldly and face challenges confidently. To achieve this goal, moral/value education, self-awareness exercises, mental health activities, and social awareness programmes should be given more importance and incorporated into the curriculum. This should be done on a regular basis at the primary and secondary levels of education.

Education for happiness should be one of the aims of primary and secondary education. Learners who are happy will be able to develop a positive attitude towards life. One of the reasons given for Finlands high level of happiness is the countrys high-quality education system which aims at improving learners well-being. Finns guided by the slogan there is no bad weather, only bad clothes, learn to do the right thing at a young age.

There are various factors that kill learners happiness and make them behave like machines. One of the factors is the hidden agenda of our education system: education for exams and career. In the book Creative Schools, Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica (2015) stress the need for shifting away from exam-factory education to developing creativity among students. According to the authors, the eight core competencies (8Cs) that education should develop in students are: creativity, curiosity, criticism, communication, collaboration, compassion, composure and citizenship. The UNESCO Happy School Framework (2014-2015) also highlights the need for recognising values and competencies that contribute to enhancing happiness. In this context, it is good to look at two models of happiness curriculum: Delhi and Finland.

Delhi model

The Delhi governments Happiness Curriculum was designed with an attempt to find answers to the question What makes a good life?

Forty teachers were chosen and trained in co-existential thought which is based on understanding spiritual, intellectual, behavioural and material aspects of life. Dream a Dream, an NGO, trained the teachers to become educators so that they can nurture empathy and develop their creative and critical thinking skills. The teachers were encouraged to undergo a paradigm shift and apply empathy-based pedagogy and a life skills approach in the classroom. These teachers, who later became mentors, were involved in designing the happiness curriculum that focused on addressing learners emotional and mental needs and developing their self-awareness, creativity, critical thinking and a few other life skills.

Finland model

Is happiness a skill? Can it be taught? The answer to these questions can be found in the motto of the Happiness School of Finland: Finnish happiness is a skill and it can be taught. The Finnish education system encourages learner autonomy and creativity. It does not pressurise students by giving them meaningless homework and unproductive tests. Teachers too enjoy autonomy. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Finnish teachers are happier than teachers in other countries. In Finland, it is not easy to be certified as teachers. Only those who have the aptitude for teaching and teaching skills are certified to become teachers. Teachers in Finland are highly respected and trusted. They enjoy a great deal of autonomy to plan lessons and run classes. Granting autonomy to teachers results in producing happier teachers who, in turn, play a vital role in producing happier students.

Sue Palmer, literacy specialist and author of Toxic Childhood, in an interview to CNN says, My admiration for the Finns is for their education in general and the trust they put in teachers... She also attributes Finlands success in education to the later starting age. In Finland, no parent expects their children to be reading and writing formally until they are seven.

Governments and educators

Education should enable the all-round development of individuals. It is possible only if joyful education is promoted and joyful environment is created in educational institutions.

Happiness curriculum is based on the belief that the emotional well-being of learners is linked to their successful life. It is a major shift from teacher-centredness to learner-centredness, teaching to learning, textbook-based learning to experiential learning, unhealthy competition to happy collaboration, teacher domination to learner participation, rote learning to activity-based learning. Happiness curriculum can enhance learner motivation and result in positive learning outcomes. It is high time our governments introduced happiness curriculum in schools.

The writer is an academic, columnist and freelance writer. rayanal@yahoo.co.uk

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

Not convinced? Know why you should pay for news.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Read more:
Happy classes - The Hindu

Shortly before Marcus Smart was told he had tested positive for the coronavirus, social media was jammed with footage of young twentysomethings on the beaches of Florida and Georgia, adding a whole new, dark meaning to spring break.

The Celtics guard was alarmed, knowing he was asymptomatic and had no idea who might have spread it to him, or where he might have passed it on. His first thought was about reaching youth.

Smart quickly posted a video announcement of his situation on Twitter Thursday night as a kind of oral finger wag at those who didnt take the growing pandemic seriously.

His big deal, No. 1 priority, was to get to younger kids to realize this was serious and quit congregating, said Kenny Boren, Smarts high school coach and the director of his youth basketball camps. He kind immediately thought he wanted to use it as a platform to bring self-awareness to people.

Marcus biggest gift is when hes around kids, he said. Not ironic when he got it was that his first thoughts were that we had to get people on board with this, teenagers and 20-year-olds, we have to get them to understand the severity of how they can be spreaders of this kind of thing and how it can affect them.

It obviously hasnt affected Marcus he has no symptoms but thats not fair to other people it could affect who have lower immune systems. Theres no way to know where this is going. It could affect people of younger ages if it gets going bad.

Smart, who quarantined himself immediately after getting tested on the morning of March 15, is in typically good spirits where his own health is concerned.

Its Marcus, so hes pretty even-keeled, said Boren. His highs arent too high and his lows arent too low, so hes just going about his business at home, playing video games, video chatting with friends. The great thing he did, and the rest of the Celtics who were on that road trip, is that they landed and self-quarantined right away. That was a very smart move.

Then they got tested Sunday morning, he said. Luckily when they landed he self-quarantined. He could have started his day count when they landed, but just for extra safety he started it from the time he was tested. Just for added security, its 14 days, but hes added blanket security into it.

Smarts confidence is bolstered by a relatively new life as a practicing vegan. He has a personal chef, and has gradually weaned himself off all animal products.

One hundred percent thats going to help him, said Boren. Thats the story everyone has to know, is that what to eat, what you put into your body is critical for fighting off bacteria and infections.

I was there at his last weigh-in, and he was 219 Saturday a couple of weeks ago, so hes been in the greatest shape of his life, and a lot of that has to do with his diet, he said. Hes really studied the whole vegan route. He wouldnt classify himself as 100 percent switched over, but hes been making that transition. Hes got me interested in it, Im not going to lie. Hes told me some things that have kind of changed what Ive been doing.

The least of Smarts concerns appears to be the source of his illness. The Celtics were originally tested due to the proximity of their March 6 game to the announcement that Jazz center Rudy Gobert (followed by teammate Donovan Mitchell) had tested positive for coronavirus.

But as Detroit, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the L.A. Lakers have all made announcements concerning infected players and staff members, its become clear to Smart that the virus is so wide-spread, its also impossible to pinpoint.

Theres no possible way for him to know. You can assume it may have been the Utah Jazz, but I think he realizes theres no possible way for any of us to know who you contracted it from, said Boren. You could be up all day wondering about that. But the reality is this is such a crazy situation.

Thats the reason he wanted to self-announce because this is so crazy. You have no clue how you contract something like this, he said. Turning this into a vehicle is exactly what he loves to do how hes used this whole thing. He was very quick in saying he wanted to put out the video. He wanted this to be a platform, and thats been his whole focus.

See more here:
Marcus Smart wants his illness to educate others - Boston Herald

What does the term ghost in the machine mean to you?

Kudos to those of you who came up with well, clearly, its the Polices best album. I dont disagree.But theres a deeper meaning to the phrase thats more relevantand less spookysoundingto todays technology-driven society.

Minds are freed up when menial tasks are automated.

Ghostin the machine was coined by a British philosopher Gilbert Ryle as a way to describeFrench philosopher RenDescartesmind-body dualismthe idea that the mind is imbued with consciousness and self-awareness, while the body exists separately, disconnected fromthe mind. Essentially,thatthe mind handles consciousactionwhile the bodytakes care ofsubconsciousaction.

What, you might ask, does this have to do withAI andcustomer service?Everything. Because AIisrapidlybecoming thebodyof customer servicethe always-on function that takes care of mindless tasks we humans would prefer not to think about.

AIisthe ghost in the machine. Andmy theory isthat theghost in the machine is the key toliberatingall of usfrom the tyranny of Industrial Age mechanisms and mindsets.

Yeah. I went there.But hear me out.

Vivala AIrvolution!

Teddy Roosevelt once said, Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

Work. Worth. Doing.

Is fixing the same persistent customer service problem over and over,ad nauseum,work worth doing? I would argue that it isnt.Yet this is the work model established in the Industrial Agedo one thing. Do it over and over and over again. It is the soul-crushing mechanization of humanity.

And thats where the ghost in the machine comes in.

AIacts as thesubconsciousthe ghost in the machine, taking care ofbusinessautomatically, without thinking. Humansrepresentthe mindthe vibrant, self-aware, conscious self.And AIwill freecustomer service agentsfrom the mundane, repetitive, mechanized model of workingtheylive with today.

Far from automating human jobs away,AIwill actually restore humanity to theworkwedo.

Focus on the whyleave the whatandhow toAI

Modern machine learning is excellent at understanding the what of a situation through data recognition. Its alsokeenly capable at understanding the howhow to win at chess, how tofindthe fastest routeto a destination.

WhereAI fails isin understandingcause and effectthe why of a situation. AI cant discern context or nuance in the way a human being can. And when your work involves interacting with humans in the way customer service does,the ability to navigatethose subtle cues and undertones of interaction is everything.

When we offloadthe what and the how to AI, we take the final step in the deindustrialization of customer service, liberating our agents to focus only on the why.And by doing so, wereplacethe monotony of the contact center withthe lively,vibrantworkofsolving high-value, highly humanproblemswork worth doing.

Introducing Agent Affinity

So, the ghost in the machine is a friendly ghost, shielding agents from the repetitive and mundane so they can focus on the work thatonly humans can do.

Happily, the offloading of the what and how to the realms of machine learning is already underway.In fact, at ServiceNow we just introduced Agent Affinity, a new feature of ourNow Platform Orlando release.

Agent Affinity allows work to be assigned to agents with established relationships or identified expertise. Now customer service can assign work items by an agents work history, related task, or account team best suited for that work. Eventually, it will be possible for a customer to be automatically routed to an agent already familiar with their issue.Talk about a great human-to-human customer service experience.

In thisage of perpetual newness, embracing AI and machine learning is the only option we have if we want to keep up with the unbelievable velocity of change.Thats whyServiceNow is already laser focused on buildingdigitalcustomer workflows that break down silos and create instant satisfaction.Explore our Customer Service Management solutionto see how you can drive loyalty by connecting with your customers in a more joyful, human way.

See original here:
AI Will Free Us From The Tyranny Of Monotony - Forbes