Art Making in Schools

When I was in elementary I had an art class once in a while. Schools today have so many demands by the state that art classes have vanished over the years because of the budget cuts. Art making has dropped to the bottom of the list of many schools. Research has shown that art making contributes to the success of students and can potentially help schools improve their low-performance. Unfortunately, many of the students in our communities don’t get the opportunity to take an art class because private art classes tend to be expensive. Some art classes being offered are way out of the means of many New Mexican families. In fact, according to the U.S. Census in 2008 about 25% of New Mexican children lived under the poverty level. This means that many NM students cannot afford to take a private art class. However, there is a local organization called OFFCenter, which provides free art classes to several schools here in Albuquerque. You can help to keep the arts by donating money visit their website for more information. http://www.offcenterarts.org/donate.htm

Sleeping on the job?

I realized this week that I am always sleepy and never get enough rest. I work and go to school full time and have a family. Sometimes it is really hard to manage all of these things and still have some sleep. I am sure that some of you can relate to this situation! But what would you think about sleeping on the job? Last week, I was watching a show on television and they said several companies allow employees to sleep at their jobs. Companies are now realizing that tired employees don’t work as well. One of the companies that allow employees to sleep is Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company. They even have a special room for employees to sleep in. Look at the whole story here http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/sleeping-job-employers-tired-workers-power-nap/story?id=11659597 What do you think about this? Should employees be allowed to sleep at work? How will this impact our society in years to come?

Law school or business school????

During my life I have made difficult decisions and made many mistakes.

I am a high school dropout and had a child when I was fifteen. I am also the first from my family to attend college. But today I face the hardest challenge of all; I have to decide if I want to go to law school or business school. First I have to be honest and say that I never expected to finish college. I felt this way because college seemed so out of my reach. When I started college I dreamed of being an attorney but now I don’t feel the same way about law school. I am afraid that I will make a mistake by not going to law school and choosing business school instead. I have looked into both careers carefully but I am still undecided. I had never felt this way when deciding something and I have to make a choice soon because I am graduating in December. Any suggestions??? Do I apply to business school or law school??? I do know that I want to apply to UNM school of law or Anderson school of management. Visit their sites to learn more about them.

http://lawschool.unm.edu/admissions/index.php

http://www.mgt.unm.edu/prospectivestudents/

Retirement Accounts

Retirement!

My grandparents were always so busy raising their kids that they forgot about their retirement. Today, they are facing the consequences because they have no retirement money and I wish I could help them. This situation has opened my eyes and I am considering opening a retirement account and perhaps invest some of that money. I have tried doing research and have visited several banks but I am stilled trying to figure all this out. I have asked several friends and family members but nobody that I know has a retirement account.

Some of my friends tell me I should wait a few more years claiming that I am to young. Other family members also tell me that I should not open an account until I am done with college. But I do want to open and account and start saving. I might not be a rich person but can make the effort to start saving. I know that I am interested in a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA. These types of accounts are basically individual retirement savings accounts both have pluses and minuses to them; but I cannot decide, which one to open. This is a site I have visited to learn more about the accounts http://www.ira.com/faq1.htm. At this site I have been able to find basic information that has actually helped me understand the accounts. Visit the website to learn more about this accounts or if you know about the accounts does the site reflect what you know about them? What suggestions do you have for me? Is it to early to have an IRA account? What about investing in mutual funds?