The smartest state in the union for the second consecutive year is Massachusetts. The dumbest, for the third year in a row, is New Mexico.
These are the findings of the Education State Rankings, a survey by Morgan Quitno Press of hundreds of public school systems in all 50 states. States were graded on a variety of factors based on how they compare to the national average. These included such positive attributes as per-pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios. States received negative points for high drop-out rates and physical violence.
How does YOUR state rank?
1 Massachusetts
2 Connecticut
3 Vermont
4 New Jersey
5 Wisconsin
6 New York
7 Minnesota
8 Iowa
9 Pennsylvania
10 Montana
11 Maine
12 Virginia
13 Nebraska
14 New Hampshire
15 Kansas
16 Wyoming
17 Indiana
18 Maryland
19 North Dakota
20 Ohio
21 Colorado
22 South Dakota
23 Rhode Island
24 Illinois
25 North Carolina
26 Missouri
27 Delaware
28 Utah
29 Idaho
30 Washington
31 Michigan
32 South Carolina
33 Texas and West Virginia (tie)
35 Oregon
36 Arkansas
37 Kentucky
38 Georgia
39 Florida
40 Oklahoma
41 Tennessee
42 Hawaii
43 California
44 Alabama
45 Alaska
46 Louisiana
47 Mississippi
48 Arizona
49 Nevada
50 New Mexico
I started out pretty well, I suppose, being born in the smartest state. It was all down hill from there, but which other way would there be to go? My states of residence in order with their ranking: Massachusetts (1), Illinois (24), New Jersey (4), Colorado (21), Texas (33), California (43), Connecticut (2), and Michigan (31). Looks like there is a fair mix of educated and uneducated states. If I average them all out, I end up with a 20 ranking. My average was a bit above average. I suppose if I was going to do this correctly I'd have to go back to the years I lived each place and see what their ranking was during my residence. Maybe they'd each be a bit higher up because *I* was residing there!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Blogging
A recent Pew internet and American Life Project found more than two million Americans have their own blog.
I'm working on my blog settings and find just this one sentence sitting in my posting folder as a draft. I wonder what I intended to write in association with this little fact? I doubt it will come to me now. Oh well. It is interesting, even if I don't have anything pithy to say about it.
I'm working on my blog settings and find just this one sentence sitting in my posting folder as a draft. I wonder what I intended to write in association with this little fact? I doubt it will come to me now. Oh well. It is interesting, even if I don't have anything pithy to say about it.
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
At the Movies
Sunday evening Steve and I went to see the movie Wimbledon in one theatre while the kids saw Hero in another (both at the UGC Cinema in Slough).
In hindsight I am glad the kids did not go to see Wimbledon, mostly because there was an awful lot of shagging going on (in the movie, not in the theatre itself). I don't think they were overly impressed with Hero - it wasn't exactly as they thought it had been advertised. Judging from the looks on the faces of the other people who where exiting the theatre, I'd say they might agree.
As to Wimbledon though: it was a cute movie with everything turning out good at the end (which is how I like them). As I watched Peter begin to do better at his game with the encouragement of Lizzie I marveled at how much affect for good we can have on other people. Just by believing in him, she helped him to excel beyond anything he ever hoped to achieve. Her ability to not give up in the face of defeat but to go on to do better the next time around was also admirable.
So, not only a cute movie that ended well, but also a good object lesson (if you omit all the messing around, anyway).
In hindsight I am glad the kids did not go to see Wimbledon, mostly because there was an awful lot of shagging going on (in the movie, not in the theatre itself). I don't think they were overly impressed with Hero - it wasn't exactly as they thought it had been advertised. Judging from the looks on the faces of the other people who where exiting the theatre, I'd say they might agree.
As to Wimbledon though: it was a cute movie with everything turning out good at the end (which is how I like them). As I watched Peter begin to do better at his game with the encouragement of Lizzie I marveled at how much affect for good we can have on other people. Just by believing in him, she helped him to excel beyond anything he ever hoped to achieve. Her ability to not give up in the face of defeat but to go on to do better the next time around was also admirable.
So, not only a cute movie that ended well, but also a good object lesson (if you omit all the messing around, anyway).
Monday, October 4, 2004
Perfectionism
I read an article today by Rubel Shelly about perfectionism. He quotes and article from BBC News Online that gives the "Top Ten" signs that you are a perfectionist.
Top Ten Signs Your a Perfectionist
1. You can't stop thinking about a mistake you made
2. You are intensely competitive and can't stand doing worse than others.
3. You either want to do something "just right" or not at all.
4. You demand perfection from other people.
5. You won't ask for help if asking can be perceived as a flaw or weakness.
6. You will persist at a task long after other people have quit.
7. You are a fault-finder who must correct other people when they are wrong.
8. You are highly aware of other people's demands and expectations.
9. You are very self-conscious about making mistakes in front of other people.
10. You noticed the error in the title of this list.
I'm afraid that for the most part I'm batting almost 100 on that list. I'll admit that I didn't notice the error in the title, but that is little consolation. So, after convincing me that I am indeed a perfectionist (which I am pretty sure I knew already, but one can always hope that perhaps it was a mistake to think so), he goes in for the kill. It is often said that perfectionism is caused by low self-esteem but here he says that it is caused by the opposite: pride. He doesn't really expand on that any more - just states it then moves on to very simple "why it's bad" and "how to combat" it.
But, I wanted to think for a couple more minutes about pride being the root of perfectionism. In some ways that makes sense: not wanting others to see you fail would tend to make you keep at something when it might have been time to stop. But what about those times when no one else knows what you have done and you still go way beyond what is really needed to get a job done? Is that still rooted somehow in wanting to look good to other people? A good job must be done in case someone happens upon it? Not sure. Is not wanting everyone under the sun to know that you aren't great at things really pride? I guess I'm wondering if it embarrasses a person for others to know things aren't going great if that really equates with pride or if it's just plain old being embarrassed? I guess I'm thinking that in some ways it might be a combination of both pride and low self-worth.
In a world where people in general are very grudging in revealing that things aren't perfect for them, it's a small wonder that many people try to live up to a standard that is impossible to reach. That can't be the way that God wants us to live though. By pretending that we are something that we are not, we can not be making those who feel imperfect feel welcomed in our fellowships.
Anyway. Something to think about.
Top Ten Signs Your a Perfectionist
1. You can't stop thinking about a mistake you made
2. You are intensely competitive and can't stand doing worse than others.
3. You either want to do something "just right" or not at all.
4. You demand perfection from other people.
5. You won't ask for help if asking can be perceived as a flaw or weakness.
6. You will persist at a task long after other people have quit.
7. You are a fault-finder who must correct other people when they are wrong.
8. You are highly aware of other people's demands and expectations.
9. You are very self-conscious about making mistakes in front of other people.
10. You noticed the error in the title of this list.
I'm afraid that for the most part I'm batting almost 100 on that list. I'll admit that I didn't notice the error in the title, but that is little consolation. So, after convincing me that I am indeed a perfectionist (which I am pretty sure I knew already, but one can always hope that perhaps it was a mistake to think so), he goes in for the kill. It is often said that perfectionism is caused by low self-esteem but here he says that it is caused by the opposite: pride. He doesn't really expand on that any more - just states it then moves on to very simple "why it's bad" and "how to combat" it.
But, I wanted to think for a couple more minutes about pride being the root of perfectionism. In some ways that makes sense: not wanting others to see you fail would tend to make you keep at something when it might have been time to stop. But what about those times when no one else knows what you have done and you still go way beyond what is really needed to get a job done? Is that still rooted somehow in wanting to look good to other people? A good job must be done in case someone happens upon it? Not sure. Is not wanting everyone under the sun to know that you aren't great at things really pride? I guess I'm wondering if it embarrasses a person for others to know things aren't going great if that really equates with pride or if it's just plain old being embarrassed? I guess I'm thinking that in some ways it might be a combination of both pride and low self-worth.
In a world where people in general are very grudging in revealing that things aren't perfect for them, it's a small wonder that many people try to live up to a standard that is impossible to reach. That can't be the way that God wants us to live though. By pretending that we are something that we are not, we can not be making those who feel imperfect feel welcomed in our fellowships.
Anyway. Something to think about.
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