Sometimes it’s difficult to judge which bits of news are genuinely important. I’d noted a few headlines going by about Texas’ new textbook curriculum, and I decided that, while it was most certainly disheartening, it was happening in Texas, so it wasn’t a top concern for me. The topic came up the other night while I was having dinner with my parents, which was when my mother reminded me that Texas is one of the two largest textbook markets in the country, the other being California. Now, I’m a big fan of the free market, and I understand that to make money, companies make products with their biggest markets in mind. That said, the idea that this new legislation in Texas could very easily–not to mention rapidly–make its way to schools in my home town, well, that idea is downright frightening. I have nothing against Texas doing stuff like this within the confines of their own state, but there’s a reason that I wouldn’t want to live there–I don’t think we’d get along.

I started looking into the matter a bit more closely. I found some assessments of the situation that make the excitement over the matter sound ridiculous, like a bunch of loud, liberal nonsense. I found others that made it sound like the end of all freedom and proper, public education was right around the corner. Reading the articles on both sides closely, it seemed like those for the change were leaving a lot out and using deceptive language that had that special going-to-come-back-and-bite-you ring to it, and those against it were doing an awful lot of speculation. I wanted the real story, so I started looking through some of the changes being made (freely available, though not entirely up to date, on the Texas Education Agency website).

Left Out of History: Who’s Getting Cut from Texas’ New Textbooks?

Going through this list, I found 33 names that will be removed from the annals of history in social studies textbooks. Let’s take a look:

1. Henrietta King. Rancher and philanthropist, she moved to Texas, got married, ran the housing and education facilities for Mexican-American ranch hands until the Civil War, and is best known for successfully bringing King Ranch out of its post-war debt and into the national spotlight for cattle and horse breeding. Apparently, our children can’t learn about a successful business women who supported immigrant workers. That kind of role model could be dangerous. She was cut from second-grade books.
2. Florence Nightingale. This famous nurse is being cut from second-grade textbooks as well. Considered the founder of professional nursing as a field, she had some strong feelings about the place of women in Victorian England, specifically about women being forced into an overly feminine, helpless role in society. A piece of her writings, Cassandra, has been hailed as “a major text of English feminism, a link between Wollstonecraft and Woolf.” Certainly can’t have our girls looking to someone like this for inspiration or hero worship.
3. Dolores Huerta. Co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, she’s been cut from third-grade books. Way to dodge that tricky subject, Texas; that’ll fool the kids for sure.
4. Paul Bunyan. This legendarily over-sized lumberjack supposedly created the Grand Canyon by dragging his axe behind him after a long day of felling trees and frolicking with Babe, his blue ox. Why he’s getting cut is beyond me–I doubt it’s because he’s too eco-friendly; dude could’ve clear-cut Alaska in no time flat.
5. Robinson Crusoe. Another one that baffles me, Robinson Crusoe is the hero of the eponymous novel written by Daniel Dafoe. Maybe it’s because ol’ Crusoe was stranded near those pinkos the Venezuelans? Maybe they don’t want third-graders thinking about disobeying their parents’ wishes to go chase their sea-faring dreams? Who knows.
6. Louis Daguerre. Okay, so kids probably don’t need to learn about the daguerreotype process anymore because we’re all using digital. Besides, this artist, photographer, and inventor was French, and I think a few idiots are still dreadfully upset at the French for not coming to help us wage an illegitimate war in Iraq.

Let’s call this part one. Tune in next week for the stunning conclusion of this discussion about this underhanded manipulation of the very educational foundation of an entire generation. Also in Monday’s post, we’ll discuss irony and how it is a) not a black fly in your chardonnay, and b) probably something a lot closer to the country’s loudest proponents of personal civil liberties engaging in censorship.

When I was growing up, my grandpa used to throw around the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” The idea being, of course, that without focus, you can never be truly good at one thing. That’s all well and good, but with all due respect to my grandfather’s dated colloquialisms, I really do prefer the Renaissance-man concept. Maybe it’s because I get bored easily, but I’ve always attributed that to more of a symptom of the times than a personal trait.

Another, shall we say, symptom of the times is that the job market is more competitive than ever. This kind of thing happens all of the time in nature. There’s a dramatic change of some sort–be it climate shift, disease, or the introduction of an invasive specie, change is change–and the flora and fauna in question must adapt to survive. This pressure on the species is what spurs evolution, and this is exactly what is happening in today’s job market.

It should be kept in mind that I’m most certainly not talking about social Darwinsim, at least not in the sense that it is used pejoratively, typically denoting some type of social eugenics. What I’m suggesting is simply a way of understanding this new sort of job market we’ve found ourselves in and a way of adapting to it.

In nature, the name of the game is specialization. When things change, new niches are created, and the species that specialize and take advantage of the situation are the ones that survive. As a job-seeker, you need to be finding the same kind of niche markets and working towards taking advantage. Oddly enough, today, this means diversifying your abilities.

3 New Tricks Any Old Dog Can Learn

These skills can open a world of opportunity. Find the need, and fill it.

1. Marketing. Already got your bachelor’s degree? If you’ve been working in a field professionally for a few years since earning that degree, you’re in a great position to go get your MBA. Your experience, plus an MBA in Marketing, equals marketing specialist in the field. Use it to move up the ladder at work, or go start your own business.
2. Writing. Another great skill to tack on to your previous specialty is writing. Hone this skill, and you could start freelance writing on the side–or make a career out of it. Many industries are on the look for good writers who are genuinely knowledgeable in their field, which is where you come in.
3. Writing Code. Computers are everywhere, and we use them for everything. Learn their language and you could be designing websites, writing hit applications for smartphones, or creating specialty business software for niche industries.

Whether you’re thinking about changing jobs, brining in some extra money on the side, or making yourself way too useful to fire, picking up these skills is a great place to start. Don’t get outmoded in this ever-changing world; evolve right along with it.

College students around the country are finishing up their finals and getting ready for summer break. While a fair number are taking summer school, the rest of you are probably fixin’ to turn off your brain until the fall. Don’t get me wrong here, that’s a great plan, but only for a week or two. After that, you’re entering dangerous territory. Don’t show up to your first class next semester with a head full of mush hoping to play with crayons. Your brain–and your professors–will thank you for staying sharp.

Don’t Get Dumber: Three Quick Tips for Staying Sharp This Summer

These are easy, free, and fast, which means you don’t have any excuse!

• Learn a new word everyday. Whether you do it by tearing all of the pages out of your dictionary, wallpapering your living room with words, and throwing a dart to pick which bit of verbiage you’ll be learning, or you use one of those word-of-the-day sites (probably easier, but way less fun), picking up a new word everyday (or so) helps keep the language center of your brain functioning. Let’s face it, your professors don’t want to read that Voltaire totally wasn’t stoked on Leibniz when he wrote Candide. Fun twist: do this with a bunch of friends, and use the word constantly throughout the day–and then make fun of everyone not in on the joke.
• Do it longhand. Chances are pretty good that you do simple math on regular basis. Whether you’re dividing up the utilities between roommates or maximizing the amount of beer you can fit into the cooler (because, really, what else is calculus good for?), putting down the calculator to do a little math longhand can really help you stay sharp. Once you’re practiced, you can do simple math in front of other people to make yourself seem hip (it could work, really).
• Read. When you’re actually taking classes, the old I-don’t-have-tiime-to-read-for-fun excuse works just fine. Now that school’s out for summer, you’re just being lazy. Pick up a good book (or even a bad one), and get in some of that recreational reading you lied about wishing you could do during the semester. Tip: Dostoevsky isn’t great beach reading.

There are plenty of other things that you could be doing (reading through your notes, playing Name That Transcendental Philosopher drinking games, or even taking a class online to pick a few extra credits without having to actually set foot on campus), but these are quick, easy, and–if done properly–could actually make you look smart enough to land a date with that attractive barista who’s got that cute bookish look going. Don’t get dumber this summer!

I had the good fortune not to graduate during a recession–or near one, for that matter. The Class of 2010 is coming into the job market to hiring numbers worse than last year’s, and we’re supposedly not in a recession anymore. Now, I’m no economic expert, far from it, but if we’re out of the recession, then shouldn’t we hearing that things are better for these nascent grads? Shouldn’t we be hearing about higher education budgets righting themselves, rather than riots and protests?

Recession Effects Still Trickling Down, but Chin Up, Grads

All of the bad news aside, if you just graduated (or you’re just about to), you should still have an ear-to-ear grin. During the semester leading up to my graduation, things were a touch stressful. Not only had life decided to throw me a few curves to make things more difficult, my relatives had had their plane tickets since the holidays, which meant that I’d be out of the family if I didn’t walk. When I’d finally finished, I wasn’t impressed by my accomplishment, I wasn’t proud of myself–nope, I was relieved. I’d actually made it all the way through to a college degree, and I was having trouble mustering any sort of enthusiasm. I was treating my graduation as something else I had to do, which is the quickest way to take all of the awesomeness out of the day.

It wasn’t until I’d been handed my placeholder diploma and my name was read aloud that it hit me: I’d totally just graduated from college. It was at that point that I relaxed and started smiling so much that my cheeks hurt. I’d forgotten the best part of the whole thing: I’d graduated from college. Sure, it probably wouldn’t be my last class, and, no, I didn’t have a career-type job lined up, but I had done it!

My point? Even though you might be sitting there contemplating what this degree you’re getting is really worth (since it doesn’t make money by itself), even though you might be stressing about those final grades, this is a time for celebration. And this isn’t one of those phony holidays that the calendar tells you about–no, this is a genuine, totally-so-real-it’s-ridiculous holiday that you actually deserve, so live it up and tell reality to take a hike for a few weeks. You can get back to worrying about landing a real job later.

More and more people are relying on online education to earn their degree, and it’s no wonder. The traditional classroom is being outmoded, even in public education. A full one million elementary, middle, and high schools in the U.S. currently offer online courses. Colleges around the globe are moving to hybrid online/campus education models to better suit the needs of their students. Studies have shown that online education actually helps contemporary students learn more effectively than traditional, face-to-face learning.

All that aside, what’s the best part about earning your degree online?

You Can Make Your Classroom Anywhere, Anytime

The Internet is everywhere. Whether you’re still fiddling with that old cradle modem or streaming class lectures on your phone, you can learn anywhere you can get online–and today, that’s pretty much everywhere. Here are a few fantastic ways to take advantage of online learning:

• Road Trip! Love to travel, but think you have to wait until after graduation? Think again. Drive across the country submitting assignments at coffee shops, downloading lectures at national monuments, and doing homework during those long stretches of open road.
• Raise Your Kids. Don’t miss class to take care of your children. You can be a great parent and a great student at the same time. Write that paper during nap time; sneak in a quick study at the tee-ball game; and don’t worry about day care.
• Keep Your Day Job. Just because you’ve got a 9-to-5 doesn’t mean that you can’t go back to school. If you’re looking to change jobs, sneak in study time while you’re at work (not recommended if you’re gunning for a promotion).
• Get Campy. This one is along the same lines as road tripping your way to a degree, but it’ll be slightly more difficult to find signal. Fortunately for you, many national parks have lodges that are all wired up for your Internet needs. Why not spend the semester hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? If you do it right, you could be in gorgeous Yosemite Valley in time for your midterms.

A Few More Ways to Make Online Learning Awesome

• Pants Optional. Dressing for success in an online degree program means being comfortable. If that means posting to the class discussion board while you’re chillin’ in your underoos, so be it.
• Five O’Clock Somewhere. Yeah, you can bring a beer to the lecture; it’s your living room. Better yet, bring the classroom to the bar and plug in your laptop for happy hour. Just keep in mind that you aren’t your sharpest when you’re hitting the sauce.
• But the Game’s On! You don’t want to miss the big game, but you really need to attend the live chat before the test. No problem. Flip on the TV, and settle in for some sporty studying. Tip: Don’t type “gooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll!!!!!” accidentally, no matter how excited you are–you’ll totally blow your cover.

There are plenty of other ways to make online learning a blast, and we’re sure that you’ve figured a few out. Show us your classroom for a chance at $1,000. Your video doesn’t need to too long (shouldn’t exceed two minutes), and it doesn’t have to be professional (we want to see where you learn, not how awesome you’ve gotten with video editing software).

There’s been a lot in the news about government-backed student loans, with some people likening the changes to yet another attempt to bring America into some apocalyptic form of socialism. We won’t go into that particular argument right now–except to say that had I, personally, been in the business of insuring loans made by too-big-to-fail banks that came crying after they’d played hard and fast with everyone’s money, I would’ve taken my name off, too. Anyway, that aside, there are some very real benefits for student borrowers, provided they go for the government-backed loan and not a third-party lender.

The Two Biggest Benefits of the New Student Loan Laws

1. Payment Caps. The current program, which was rolled out in July of 2009, caps student loan payments at 15 percent of the borrower’s discretionary income (read: the money that you wouldn’t necessarily die without having. The most recent legislation, which will affect student loans issued after 2014, caps the pay-back rate at 10 percent.
2. Loan Forgiveness. Another bit of great news for future borrowers: while the current legislation provides for forgiveness of a borrower’s remaining student debt balance after 25 years, the new bill that just went through brings that down to twenty years. Better news for everyone in public service: your loan will be forgiven after just ten years under both sets of legislation.

I know a few teachers who are still up to their necks in student debt, even after more than a decade of teaching and making payments. I found out the other day that a relative of mine working (quite successfully, I might add) as a public defender will still be paying off his student loans when his kids start heading to campus in a few years–and he’s been at it for close to twenty years. In short, these new lower caps and forgiveness programs are good for us as a country and should be treated as such.

And Now for Something Completely Different: You Got a Scholarship for What?

Student loans are a great way to pay for college–that is, unless you can someone else to foot the bill. I’ve heard quite a number of versions of the whole unclaimed-scholarships bit. Some say that millions go unclaimed; other say it’s closer to billions; and still others say that that whole thing is a bunch of hooey dreamt up to make high schoolers feel about playing computer games instead of applying for scholarships. Whatever the reality of the situation is, there are a few scholarships that fall right under Woefully Esoteric. Thanks to The Wall Street Journal for gathering up these gems:

• Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. The winners of this scholarship took home three grand. What merited the award? Making prom attire out of Duck brand tape. It took ninety hours of work for Izzy Bristow and John Dyer to make their outfits.
• Tall Clubs International. Short people need not apply for this scholarship. Women over 5′10″ and men over 6′2″, however, can collect $1,000 if they have good grades and write a great essay on being tall. This scholarship is presumably to make up for having to sit in those awkwardly sized desk-chair combos during lectures.
• Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY). Drink milk enthusiastically without regard for the actual location of your mouth? You could be one of the 25 yearly SAMMY winners. If you do it right, you might get to star in a genuine “Got Milk?” ad–in addition to the trip to Disney World and the $7,500 you’ll hopefully put at least partially towards learning how to drink milk in an appropriate, albeit less profitable, fashion.

The article went on to note a few last-name-oriented scholarships, among others. If you aren’t lucky enough to land one of these weird ones, don’t give up hope. Paying for college can be difficult, but it’s worth it.