The Washington Post reported today that people with lower levels of education face a higher likelihood of dying early than those with a degree. The study, which looked at data for blacks and whites in 43 states, did not offer an explanation for the disparity, but speculation includes the ability of the educated to move to more advantageous locales and their tendency to adopt healthier styles of living, including regular exercise and avoiding smoking. So I guess I’ll have one more response for any student who feels that education does nothing for his or her life . . . 
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Now playing: Five for Fighting - 100 Years
via FoxyTunes
Tomorrow is my final final. I hear that word so often now — final exam, final portfolio, final class, final evaluation — and it is strange to think that once again, I’ve reached the end of one part of my life and will begin another soon. Sure, I tell myself it will be nice to have time to get back to blogging and going to the movies and all the other fun stuff I gave up to teach, work, and go to school, but there’s this strange nostalgia for a time that hasn’t really even ended yet. I graduated high school in ‘98, and I still remember the strangeness of that day. Knowing that this was the ‘last summer’ and that with the coming of the fall I’d be off at college, it just seemed surreal. Having “Good Riddance” as our class song didn’t help, of course. . .
Since then, I’ve gone to three different colleges and picked up two degrees and now a certification, taking numerous courses and completing hours upon hours of study, and it is always a little scary to realize that it’s time to leave the nest again. No matter how comfy the environment or cozy the routines, the world you’ve taken years to build no longer fits you, and you need to fly on to something new.
Now that I’m watching my seniors get ready for graduation (although they still have three weeks, some of them began counting down in January!), I feel like I should have something to say to them, some advice or hand-me-down wisdom about making the transition to adulthood, but I don’t. Just enjoy the ride, and remember — it doesn’t end here. Bon voyage!
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Now playing: Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
via FoxyTunes