April 23, 2008

I guess blogging is a lot bigger than I had anticipated. I was searching CNN for some information to post on this blog, and I came across the most recent election blog and the responses to Clinton's win in PA. After watching the video and reading a few article on the debate of whether or not that win was enough to save her in the election, I realized that people from all over the country decided to "weigh-in" and add what they thought about it. Blogging is becoming a huge way for people to share their opinion, and I'm excited to find more.

April 11, 2008 Another teacher on trial for sex charges

Is anyone else getting tired of seeing this!?!?!
As a student trying to get in this profession, I am having to watch people ruin the reputation of teachers all over. The sad part is, the media would happily post a teacher being brought up on sex charges before they honor a teacher on the front page for positively effecting our children and helping to shape their future. I also saw some news where a female student assaulted her art teacher. So, in order to be a teacher you must have thick skin and be prepared to come under fire, or under attack.

April 9, 2008 - Girl getting beat up on Youtube

On the Today show this morning, and mother was speaking out about an incident that occurred in Florida. Apparently some teenage girls and two boys invited a girl to a house, where they proceeded to confront her and assault her. These brilliant kids decided that they were going to tape the imprisonment and assault and post it on You Tube. Now the individuals involved are facing adult charges of kidnapping imprisonment and assault. You would think at this point, they would feel remorse, but you would be wrong. One girl even joked, "We'll get to spend our Spring Break in prison." Now sites like You Tube and others are coming under fire for allowing such videos to be posted, as it creates a forum for kids to do this. I agree that something should be done, and these girls should be found guilty. The video says it all! I actually sat my team down last night, and we talked about it. I hope that the young women on my teams understand that this is not acceptable behavior, and they should hold themselves to a higher standard.

April 4, 2008 The new face of graduate school

So, me and all the other post-bac's should feel good about a recent article that has been posted on MSN from US News which refers to the average age of people going back to grad school. Apparently, the average age of all grad students enrolling in between 24 and 35. It seems that many universities are following suit by offering child-care help, two-year programs, and a lot of other services to assist older learners. I can only hope that SRU does the same thing, since it is impossible to continue my education in this program without quitting my full-time job!

March 31, 2008 Two more competitions down

On top of working full-time for Fisher Scientific, and taking classes at Slippery Rock (with an hour commute each way) I have been coaching cheerleading. This season, which started last April, is beginning to come to a close. I decided to make the season a little bit longer this year with creating another competition squad other than the varsity one that went to nationals in fla a couple weeks ago. This squad was comprised of 24 girls in 8th, 9th, and 10th grades. Before this weekend, none of them have ever stepped on a competition mat. Well, they won their division on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, they also won Grand Champions as the varsity did at nationals by scoring higher than any other program at the competition yesterday! I am so proud of them. Now we only have one more to go at the Petersen Event Center on April 12th. Update to follow.

March 25, 2008 College Drop Outs

There was an article on MSNBC about students who entered a four-year college in 1997, stating that only 54% have a degree at the end of 6 years. WELL.... I have a good idea why. I am running into the same issue with college, and my third degree. It seems every post-secondary degree I have recieved, it is getting more difficult to finish in a timely manner. With professors choosing to teach only one-two sessions of a class per semester, and a lot overlapping, it is very difficult to get the required amount of credits in a short amount of time. For example, classes here in Slippery Rock for PE majors are only offered between 8am and 3:15pm, mostly. If you have a job, it is impossible to finish this degree without quitting work, due to some classes only being offered between 1 and 3pm every semester. There are currently at least four classes being wait-listed for this fall. Very frustrating for me and a lot of other individuals.

March 24, 2008 One more month

So, there is basically only one more month of classes. In the next month, I still have to complete my podcast, Litservs, Digital Video, Excel, and Powerpoint, all while blogging and keeping up with the other classes. I am also still in season, and have many practices and three competitions yet to attend with the younger team. AGH!!!! Just have to forge through one more month....

March 19, 2008 Nutrition for Kids that won't eat meat

During the time I was getting my Master's in Ex Phys, I was assigned to teach nutrition and fitness classes to a group of unwed teenage mothers in Pittsburgh. I haven't thought about the experience until my sister-in-law called my mother for advice this weekend. My nephew is a very finicky eater, and would not eat any meats or other proteins. I remembered back to when I taught the class, and was able to give her advice. By adding pasteurized egg whites (available at any grocery store) you are adding a ton of protein in a tasteless, odorless manner so the kids will not notice and get their protein. Good tip

March 19, 2008 Cheerleading Nationals

This weekend I was in Florida with the Varsity cheer and dance teams from Montour High School. After many months of preparation, the girls competed in the International Competition. After a rough first day, the girls were 7th in the standings. Fortunately, the company takes a best score of two performances to determine the winner. The second day ended up being much better making the first day a wash. The girls battled back from 7th to win their division the next day. They also won "high point champion" meaning the had the highest score out of the varsity mount traditional teams; and also the "grand champions" which meant they scored the highest of every single school team there. It was a great trip!

March 4, 2008 A push for AED's in every school in America

After the death of their teen sons, a group of parents have joined together to make sure that there will be Automated external defibrillators (AED) in every school in America. Both of the boys that suffered cardiac arrest that lead to their death could have been avoided had an AED been available. Studies show that one of the biggest fears with using AED's is that injury will come to the administrator of the machine. On the contrary, Cardiac Science has created a line of AED's that are easy to use by not only professionals, but also every day citizens. The audio and visual prompts walk the life-saver through the process. When you buy the defibrillator from Cardiac Science, they also offer comprehensive training to use them. These devices also come with training videos and manuals.

March 4, 2008 Update on the Walk for a Cure

I have been campaigning for the MS walk for the past month, and the generosity of people amazes me sometimes. Over that course of time I have received over $100 to donate to finding a cure for this disease. Recently I received a donation from a class mate. Jen donated because her grandfather also has MS. A former carpenter and very active man, he is now bed-ridden and near death. The incurable disease does not kill you, but will degenerate your nervous system to make it difficult to live. I received another donation from her mother today in honor of the 70th birthday of her grandfather George Sweeny. Mr. Sweeny is another reason why I am walking for a cure.

February 21, 2008 Get your student loans now!

I read an article today that could affect all of us. Apparently the housing market is not going to be the only lenders that are having problems. Issues have now spread to the education market as well. Issues are stemming from a spike in default from students borrowing more than they could afford and not being abnle to pay the amount back. The largest lender, Sallie May, reported a $1.6 billion loss last year. What does this mean for student borrowers..... Higher Loan costs, fewer lenders willing to take the risk, and more strict standards for borrowers. Better rush to get that paper work started!

February 21, 2008 Teachers making poor decisions

I'm not sure if it is a trend right now, or if children and the media are blowing things out of proportion, but it seems a lot of professional teachers are making poor decisions in the conduct with their students. Recently, a Moon Phys Ed teacher resigned and then accused of sexual misconduct with a student, of which there was proof. Now I open up the newspaper this morning to find a SV instructor accused of the same thing. Is this a trend? Or has this kind of thing been going on forever, but never being talked about? Yikes!

February 15, 2008 MS Walk

Hi Everyone!
I am doing the MS Walk on April 20, 2008 in support of my father who has this disease. Once I get my website up and running, I will put updates about the walk, history of my father's life with the disease and updates on his progress/regression.
If you are interested in donating to support my fundraising efforts...


Dear Friend and Colleagues ,The National MS Society is kicking off our annual Walk MS. I am planning to be a part of that event and I am asking you to join me in the fight against MS by making a contribution to support my effort. I am walking to support my father who has been stricken with this disease since 1969 when he returned from Vietnam. He has been successfully fighting the disease until recently. Now the pain, physical tremors, and loss of brain function has kept him from not only working, but also enjoying the activities he enjoys most, like playing with his grandchildren. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives and my father's life.
Please help by making a donation - large or small - to fight MS. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.Whatever you can give will help! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Sincerely,
Kristin Coates
Click here to get to my personal page and make a secure, online donation.To send a donation: Make all checks payable to: National MS Society Mail to: Kristin Coates 219 Stark Ave Imperial, PA 15126-1140 . Or... if you have extra change in your pocket, you can drop it in the vase on my desk. Thanks again!
National Multiple Sclerosis Society 1-800-344-4867© 2007 The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. All rights reserved.

February 11, 2008 Arizona's Anderson trying to save PE

In Arizona, officials are looking to fix the budget problems of the state. Rep. Mark Anderson R-Mesa is amaking sure that "vital programs" are not ermoved from schools, like physical education, art and music. Some other issues they will be looking at are, higher education and healthcare. Anderson's focus is primarily on those areas of education. His main fear is that when the other legislators focus on what they want to accomplish, they may forget about such crucial programs in the schools. He is planning to introduce legislation to help save those programs. If interested, you can watch the preceedings on www.azleg.gov.

February 5, 2008 - Fitness a Sin?

While we complain about the lack of machines in a busy gym and there never being any towels in the sauna, Saudi Arabian women are being kicked out of gyms. In Saudi Arabia, it is actually considered a sin to particiapte in fitness classes. The major concern is that the women will become attracted to each other after seeing their classmates in leotards.
According to Saudi press reports, about 66% of women there are overweight or obese. Health officials are trying to blame the newly aquired lavish lifestyle that is very different from the way it used to be. Similar to Americans, they have become more rich, which has them abandoning their nutritional meals for fast food. They are also moving and working less, as they have brought in Asian workers to do their manual jobs. Furthermore, it seems as though they are participating in sedentary activities related to technology. It would be wise then to offer activities to combat this issue with their women, but the belief is that they will entice men and ruin their morals.

February 5, 2008 - 1 in 3 sex ed teachers don't cover all the basics

According to msnbc.com, a study was done of 201 schools in Illinois. The study concluded that "one-third of teachers did not give comprehensive instruction — defined as covering the four basic topics of abstinence, birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases." It also found that 30% were not given any special training to teach such topics, and therefore would shy away from it. The most frequently taught topics included HIV and STD's, while the least covered were homosexuality, abortion and the use of contraception.
Now, I never had the "Birds and Bees" talk when I was growing up, but the world today is pretty different. I think it is critical to educate children in all topics of health, especially sex education.

February 1, 2008 Microsoft makes offer to Yahoo

So, today I saw that Microsoft wants to purchase Yahoo. They made an offer to them of $44.6 Billion. I can't even fathom that number. If that happens, they would far surpass Google as the leading advertiser on the internet. Yahoo is saying that they will review the proposal, but did not give any inidcation whether or not that would happen. That would change a lot of how you search the internet for information. If this buyout does happen, I would hope that Microsoft begins making so muh money that they won't charge so much for their software...... There's my wishful thinking for the day : )

January 29, 2008

Over the course of my coaching career I have learned a lot about the way kids act at different ages. No matter how many years you coach, you never figure it all out, or have all the answers. What I have learned thus far, however, will definitely benefit me when I begin teaching. I learned something recently that you cannot always trust your kids to keep something confidential in a conversation between you. Especially at the age of 15, they are interested in only gossip and sharing everything they know. If you have something to say people... keep it to yourself!

Janurary 24, 2008

Hi! My name is Kristin Coates from Imperial, Pennsylvania. I am a post-baccalaureate student at Slippery Rock University where I will obtain my teaching certification in Health and Physical Education. I also work full-time at Thermofisher Scientific, and coach Cheerleading at Montour High School on McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. I went to West Allegheny High School where I did cheerleading, ran cross-country, played basketball, ran track and played softball. I got my undergraduate degree in Business from Duquesne University in 2003, where I cheered and was a member of Sigma Lambda Phi sorority and the University's Pan-Hellenic committee. I finished my Master's Degree in Developmental Movement in 2007 from the University if Pittsburgh. I have two older brothers who are both married with children. I own my own home, and a Boxer named Jackson.