• are college entrance exams good?
    January 2019

    Do College Entrance Exams Help or Hurt Students?

    Do College Entrance Exams Help or Hurt Students? A New Film Challenges the Multi-Billion Dollar Test Industry By Brad Kava Every year more than 7 million high school students pull out their Number 2 pencils and go through a drill about as pleasant as having a cavity filled—-only it takes longer. For almost a century the SAT and ACT tests have been required by many colleges looking to determine how high school students will do in higher education. Only, in recent years, there has been pushback against the tests by educators who claim they don’t really measure aptitude, they favor students from wealthier homes who can afford paying for test…

  • gender binary definition
    December 2018

    “Gender is Not a Binary” What does that mean?

    “Gender is Not a Binary” What does that mean? In biology class, you probably learned that males have one X and one Y chromosome, and that females have two X chromosomes. That’s right…sometimes. In fact, gender and sex are much more complex than that simple explanation. Although we don’t have space here to explain in detail, here are some bullet points that may help you see the complexity of gender, and why it isn’t “just one or the other.” Most humans who appear “male” have one X and one Y chromosome Most who appear “female” have two X chromosomes Some who appear “female” who were born with one X and…

  • relaxing life
    December 2018

    Your New American Dream: A Simple, Uncluttered Life

    Your New American Dream: A Simple, Uncluttered Life No matter how you look at it, today’s American life is anything but simple. Our lives are busy, demanding and complicated. Just negotiating the coordination of the weekly family schedule can bring on a headache. Who will take Johnny to his soccer practice while someone else attends Sarah’s music recital? When can the dental appointment fit into your work schedule? Add to that the complexity of our technological world with constant tweets, texts and phone calls. Our calendars may be right there on our phones, but how in the world can we actually do all the things listed and reserve any quality…

  • November 2018

    What Do You Want To Do With Your Life?

    What Do You Want To Do With Your Life? Teens Face Life Decisions Earlier Than Ever By Suki Wessling This article is first in a three-part series on the college application experience for teens. This month: college applications don’t just come out of nowhere. How can teens start early determining what they might want to do in college and beyond? Being a teen is never easy, but perhaps the most exasperating thing teens experience is the assumption that they should know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Adults who work with teens say that now, more than ever, the pressure is on. “Part of me…

  • September 2018

    It’s Scary How Many People Buckle Up Wrong

    It’s Scary How Many People Buckle Up Wrong: Child Passenger Safety Week is in September By Michelle Spence As a parent, you buckle your kids up for a trip in the car so often that it is easy to run through the process on autopilot, but motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children and most car crashes happen on short trips, close to home. One of the most important things a parent can do to keep their children safe is to ensure they are safely buckled up in the correct and properly installed car seat for their age and size, every single time they get in…

  • July 2018

    Special Needs Families Hidden Among Us

    Special Needs Families Hidden Among Us By Susan H. Shane There are families in Santa Cruz with special needs kids who do not fit the usual categories. These families are deeply traumatized, but few outside the home know about them and the reality they live.  The children, initially, present within the norm at school, but have severe emotional and behavioral problems at home. In fact, their behavior poses a genuine danger to the health and safety of the child and family.  There are, literally, no resources in town sufficient to help these families.  Jane, already a mother of three girls, knew that her two year old, Natalie’s, long, intense crying…

  • June 2018

    Hidden Disabilities, Hidden Stress

    Hidden Disabilities, Hidden Stress By Suki Wessling “I think I have it easy.” Her statement took me by surprise. Easy to raise a child with Down Syndrome? Easy to know that your son may never be able to live an independent life? I was speaking with a friend about being the parent of a child with special needs, and her point of view was unexpected. She explained that as soon as people looked at her son, they knew a lot about him. It led people, she said, to feel comfortable with him. People were generally kind and accepting, didn’t have unreasonable expectations, and appreciated what he could offer to the…

  • April 2019

    The Evolution of Competition

    The Evolution of Competition Written by Mike Herzog & Bill Trimpi It was a cold cloudy rainy day in the dead of December 1994, at Natural Bridges After School Sports Program. The kids were restless. If we didn’t do something quickly the pent-up energy of twenty children ages five to eleven was going to erupt like a volcano. Suddenly an inspiration hit me, we needed to do the unthinkable, we needed to go outside in the rain and play a game. I called everyone in, who was interested, to play a two-hand touch mud football game. Naturally all the older boys came running over at the sound of mud. We…