A friend of mine who used to be a student called me from college the other day. He asked me to look at his astronomy homework. I thought it was perfect, and he told me he called because he didn’t do it. In fact, none of his classmates were doing any of their homework. They were using Artificial Intelligence (AI).He felt conflicted about it. In high school, he and I had long conversations about why students cheat, and he really needed to talk to an adult about this. I was honored, I said, and I wasn’t all that worried, in terms of the future of education. I told him that…
-
-
Editor’s Note
This month we take on one of the biggest challenges parents face every summer: how do I decide where to send the kids to summer camp? The good news and the bad news are the same: there are so many great options to choose from, how do I stick to only one or two? We are considerably lucky here. A recent article in the Washington Post described a real struggle, with parents having to get kids into camps that book up instantly and competing against thousands of families for a small number of spaces. In Santa Cruz, we have a huge variety of types of camps and price ranges—many featured…
-
Explore and Expand
Ordinary creativity is extraordinarily important– Dr. James Catterall Devote your child’s summer to creativity. Yesterday, a news story I was watching in my living room showed the town less than a mile from my spot on the couch, and it looked like New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Half houses and half cars poking up from a flat and endless expanse of mud brown. A motionless lake as far as the drone could photograph, sitting there waiting. They said it might be a year or more before residents could return. Right after Hurricane Katrina, I was teaching AP Environmental Science, and we spent time looking at how architects and civil engineers…
-
Family Fun at Summit for the Planet Earth Day
From barn owls and bearded dragons to California kingsnakes and turkey vultures, the opportunity to get up close and hands-on with wildlife at Mount Madonna School’s annual Summit for the Planet Earth Day festival is always a huge draw. Children and adults alike enjoy the many birds, reptiles, and amphibians shared by the Bay Area Herpetological Society (BAHS) and Wildlife Education Rehabilitation Center (WERC), two participants in this community eco-festival. Everyone is welcome to check out the wildlife and family-friendly activities at the 17th annual Summit for the Planet on Saturday, April 29 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Mount Madonna School. This FREE admission public event begins with a 5K…
-
Coloring Contest
-
How Do You Help Save Our Planet?
-
Students Take Science Seriously
Kids in Santa Cruz County are busy with all kinds of activities, and some in our next generation are taking scientific research seriously as evidenced at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair held March 18 at the County Office of Education. One-hundred-forty students from schools across the County representing 123 science projects competed in this annual event. I had the pleasure of interviewing organizers, judges, and participants. Emma Smith, a sixth grader from Mountain School, is concerned about climate change and flooding. Her project explored whether a living shoreline might mitigate damage from ocean flooding better than the standard impervious sea walls which are built for this purpose. “I knew…
-
Making Magic at Camp Kesem
My father sadly passed away when I was 7 years old. My family had been uprooted from our home in Mexico and pulled back to America for a more advanced treatment for my dad’s cancer. He fought for four long years. In the wake of his death, I refused to speak of him or his suffering. It was just too painful to relive. Eventually, my mom persuaded me to attend a program called Camp Kesem. Adding to the preexisting dozens of locations across the USA, the first chapter of UC Santa Cruz Camp Kesem opened in 2014.This amazing non-profit program is run by passionate, volunteering university students, and among other…
-
Growing Up In Santa Cruz, Literally
When the University of California came to town in the 1960’s, our then conservative town thought the worst they were getting were boys in letter sweaters and girls in bobby socks, who may get a little rowdy at fraternity or sorority parties. Well, weren’t they surprised when every public university campus in the United States immediately became a hot-bed of liberal and radical politics: anti-war, pro-feminism, anti-establishment, and pro-environment. But, the changes did not stop there. Newly arrived folks associated with UCSC in some way or other became active in City politics, electing radicals such as Mike Rotkin, Bruce Van Allen to the city council, and Gary Patton to the…
-
Kids on the Trapeze with the Greatest of Ease
Ladies and Gentleman! Orchard School presents CircOrchard, its 8th annual children’s circus, featuring the entire 60-strong student body performing clown antics, juggling, acrobatics, unicycling, stilt walking, and circus spoofs. The not-to-be-missed public show will be April 23 at 2pm at the Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center. See ticket information below. Over the years, audiences have been wowed by the expertise and creativity of the school’s young performers, as well as impressed by their confidence level and powerful stage presence. The show, under the direction of teacher and professional performer, Rock Lerum, is created fresh every year with the addition of new, kid-generated skits, and an ever-growing student skill…
-
Positive Parenting After the Floods
It’s hard to believe that a few months ago, California was still in a deep drought, with many concerns about the lack of water. Now, after multiple atmospheric rivers, many people’s lives have been turned upside-down (yet again) by events they have no control over. It’s heartbreaking to see the devastating impact of the storms and floods on families, many of whom already faced challenges meeting basic needs. While the water may recede, the emotional ripple effects of the loss, disruption, and uncertainty will last a long time.If you have a question or idea for a future column, email me at [email protected]. Dear Nicole,My family had to evacuate in the…
-
Santa Cruz’ Top Pitcher Even Practices in the Dark
Something often have an epiphany in which they realize their passion. For Nevaeh Martinez, a 17-year-old junior at Soquel High, this moment occurred at a Stanford softball game when she was young and watched in awe at the speed and power of the pitchers. At that moment she knew she would do whatever it took — work as hard as she must – to manifest herself onto the pitching mound. “I thought it was really cool watching the softball pitchers pitch and how fast their arms moved,” said Martinez. “Just how different it was than baseball.” Years later, that same girl watching wide-eyed from the bleachers, has received the Player…
-
A Rosy Spring for Real Estate?
The spring real estate market is about to come into full bloom, and from where I’m sitting, our local market is looking downright rosy. I’m guessing it may surprise you to see me write that, because it runs contrary to the narrative that’s we’re being fed in the media – that rising interest rates have snuffed out the real estate market, the Federal Reserve is working to bring about a recession, and the real estate market is circling the drain. There’s no question that the market has cooled – and cooled dramatically. Prices are down across the board throughout the Bay Area, to varying degrees. But Santa Cruz specifically is…
-
Do Smartphones Help or Hinder Students in the Classroom?
Smartphones are facing scrutiny in classrooms from K-12 to college. Some teachers prohibit cell phones inside the classroom because their alerts, text messages, and social media updates are a distraction to the students. Other teachers allow them because students need easy access to information, assignments and calendars. Are smartphones interfering with academic productivity and learning? While students are clicking on messages and checking out images of their friends, these interactions on their smartphones often trigger anxiety, and FoMo (fear of missing out) when they see that their friends are engaged in exciting activities while they’re stuck in a classroom or their bedrooms. Although the students may physically be in the…
-
Editor’s Note
We asked an Artificial Intelligence program to write a poem about being a teen whohas grown up in Santa Cruz and this is what we got in 20 seconds: In Santa Cruz by the sea, Where the waves crash wild and free.I spent my teenage years, With laughter, love, and tears.The sun-kissed sand, the salty breeze, The boardwalk bustling with glee.The pier where we’d fish and dream, Our youth so full of promise and esteem.The town was quirky, artsy, and kind, With open minds and hearts refined.Where we could be ourselves, express, And never feel the need to impress.We’d hang out at cafes, skate parks, and beaches, Taking risks, pushing…
-
ChatGPT – How Will This Change Education?
When spell check and grammar check features became available in the late 1970s, critics feared that we would rely on technology to edit our work and that the quality of our writing would diminish. Then when the internet first appeared in 1983, critics worried that people would lose the ability to think critically. Both the internet and spell/grammar check features have become a mainstay in writing and we rely on them for research and editing our work. Today ChatGPT – an artificial intelligence software program that provides instant research results and can write an original essay in a matter of seconds – is the new obsession. Teachers and administrators are…
-
Tips for Music Teachers
My greatest satisfaction, after 70 years of musical experience, has been teaching piano to people of all ages. I’ve found it to be an art of empathy, perception, intuition and constant appraisal. Teaching is about preparing and encouraging a student to continue conscious and creative learning as a life long practice. Here are some tips that may be useful.
-
A Plea for Your Help
Kevin, a 16-year-old teen, was sitting in my dental chair in terrible pain. He had a deep cavity that was hitting his nerve and needed treatment right away. As a dentist and a mom, I really felt for Kevin. Fortunately, I was able to get him the care he needed to get him out of pain and save his tooth – a risk he didn’t know he had when he arrived. I knew that the cavity had taken years to get to this point. If he had been seen by a dentist at an earlier stage, it could have been easily treated with a filling before it caused Kevin any…
-
Community College is Best Path to University of California
Each year more than two million people enroll in a California Community College. While each student has their own personal goals during their time at community college, many have aspirations to transfer into a four-year university — the most popular of these universities being University of California. In April of 2018, the UC president and California Community Colleges issued a memorandum of understanding (an “agreement”) that guarantees admission for all CCC students who complete one of the UC pathways and has qualifying GPA. The GPA standard is set at 2.4 or 2.8 for non-residents. While this base GPA varies between majors, it offers a reasonable expectation for students who want…
-
Athlete of the Month
Local swimmer Oliver Santana of Soquel High School is only a sophomore, but has already proved himself to be one of Santa Cruz county’s most promising young athletes at age 16. Oliver’s parents encouraged him to take swimming lessons as a child to grow familiar with the nearby ocean. This is where his love for swimming collided with an innate desire to compete and improve. “I always just loved the water,” said Santana. “I like doing a little more every time.” And improve he has; as Santana has improved his times nearly every time he competes. Not only is he racing against other swimmers from the area, but additionally against…
