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Study: Parents Will Move and Pay Higher Rent to Be Near Good Schools

Posted on July 23, 2016

All around the nation, there are certain pubic school districts known for their academics, sports programs, curriculum, and other amenities. Parents are usually willing to pay higher rent or mortgage to live close enough to the best schools so their children can get the best possible education. Look for Guardian Housing near your dream school if you can’t find any affordable properties in the area.

We know from personal experiences that some people even use the address of friends and relatives in order to register their children in those top notch schools. The practice of moving close to quality schools is not new.

RentCafe.com did a study with the local Los Angeles school district which confirmed this ritual. The site wanted to see how much more parents have to pay to live near the best schools in Los Angeles. Here is a summary of what they found:

Rents near top-ranking public schools in L.A. are 38% higher than near low-ranking schools
Home prices near top-ranking public schools are 185% higher than near low-ranking schools
Only 12% of public elementary schools in L.A. perform above average

Curious? Get the full story.

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10 ideas for sending a hot lunch to school with the kids

Posted on March 26, 2015

If your child craves more substantial food during the cooler months, a cold-cut sandwich may not cut it for his lunchtime meal. Because so many schools are making the peanut-free switch, the classic PB&J may not even be an option for your young student. While cafeteria hot lunch is an option, truth be told, there’s no telling what’s in the food. Generally, school lunches are prepared with pre-packaged foods that are laden with chemicals, additives and preservatives. Packing a nice, home-cooked hot lunch will ensure proper nourishment for your child and you’ll know exactly what’s in your child’s food.

Stews, Soups or Chili – Prepare the thermos while you heat up your soup, stew or chili. You could even set up a slow cooker the night before and spoon hot chili or stew directly into the thermos. Pack some crackers and shredded cheese in the lunchbox to top off hot soup or chili.
Nachos –This is an option for using up leftovers from taco night. Make a cheese dip to heat up in the morning. Use 2:1 parts cheese to mild salsa for an easy nacho cheese recipe, then put hot cheese dip in a prepped thermos. You could even put heated up leftover taco meat and whole beans on top of the cheese in the thermos; these ingredients are perfect for pouring over a plate of crispy tortilla chips. A small baggy or container of diced tomatoes, olives and onions to sprinkle on top of the nachos add the final touch. .
Cheeseburger or Hot Dog – Hot dogs will fit nicely into a tall thermos, however a hamburger patty may not. Consider making small patties for miniature buns to make little sliders. You can prepare the hamburger bun ahead of time with a little lettuce, tomato and a slice of cheese. Ever wonder what to do with all those fast food condiments that are left over? Toss them in the lunch box to spread onto their hot dog or hamburger.
Sloppy Joes – Whether it’s the mess implied by the name or the savory sauce, there’s just something kids love about sloppy joes. Spoon prepared sloppy joe meat into a thermos, then pack buns and your child’s favorite sides for a hot lunch treat.
Baked Potato – First thing when you wake up in the morning, wrap a handful of potatoes in tin foil and throw them in the oven to bake. By the time you’re out of the shower or have the kids dressed and ready, the potatoes should be perfectly baked on the inside. Open the tin foil, slice the spud down the middle, put a pat of butter on the inside and seal the tin foil back up. Place the potato (with the foil still on) inside the thermos. Send them off with all the fixing’s on the side. Cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, chives or diced onion are great extras for kids to sprinkle on their potato at lunch time.
Tacos – Put hot taco meat in the thermos and build a couple of soft tacos separately. When it’s time for lunch, your child can simply open the soft shells and spoon the meat into the tortilla, then wrap it all up and eat. Chips and salsa on the side would make a perfect as a side dish.
Spaghetti, Lasagna or Mac and Cheese – Whichever classic pasta dish you choose to send off with your kid, a little parmesan to sprinkle over the top is a nice touch.
Breakfast for Lunch – A veggie omelet and a couple of sausage links would tuck perfectly into a wide-mouth thermos. Hash browns might end up soggy, so consider skipping that part. A cup of fruit would go well with this lunch.
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes – Put hot mashed potatoes and gravy in the bottom of the cooler and place a small slice of hot meat loaf on top. At lunch time pull the meat out and serve on a plate or in the lid, and eat the mashed potatoes and pour the gravy right out of the thermos.
Veggie Stir-fry – Rice will soak up all the liquid if it is put in a thermos with other food that is juicy or watery. If your stir-fry mixture is on the drier side, go ahead and put them in the same thermos. Otherwise, put stir-fried veggies and meat into the thermos and put rice in another container while it is hot. The rice won’t be piping hot at lunch time, but it will be warm enough to eat and enjoy.

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Trend: Punishing teens by shaming them virally in Social Media

Posted on April 25, 2014

Recently, a video of a mother in the Caribbean twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago beating her 12-year old daughter went viral. It sparked much debate and online conversation about whether corporal punishment is necessary to discipline teens and whether such discipline should be broadcast to the world to see.

That type of video is not new, however:

In Flint, Michigan this month, three adults were arrested after a video of them beating, slapping and yelling at an 11-year old boy was posted on Facebook. The mom’s boyfriend shot the video and posted it to shame the boy for pretending to be a gang member and having bad grades.

Last month, a mother recorded her husband beating their 13-year old daughter with a belt after she went missing for 3 days and the girl’s Facebook page revealed she was spending time with boys. The video, shown on World Star Hip Hop, got over 350,000 views.

In 2012, a video of a sick mother beating her baby garnered close to 2 million views. Online petitions caused Malaysian police to arrest the woman.

Also in 2012, a former official in California was sentenced and is serving three years probation after a neighbor shot the man, Anthony Sanchez, beating up his stepson while teaching him to catch a baseball. The neighbor posted the video on YouTube.

That year as well, petitions from online directed a judge to make a decision in a custody over a couple’s daughter after a video of abuse with the mom beating the on went viral and got over 330,000 views on YouTube.

It’s not always the parents posting the videos either.

There is the high profile case of Hillary Adams, a daughter of a judge William Adams, who in 2011 posted a video she recorded in 2004 of her dad beating her. She posted the video on Reddit saying the world should see that he is unfit for the bench. The video got 7.6 million views. Judge Adams lost his judicial election.

Non Violent Shaming

And beyond videos, we’ve seen the images with teens holding shaming signs their parents make them hold on street corners with some of them circulated on line. Some parents are forcing their kids to hold signs and posting them online to teach their teens a lesson about how dangerous social media is and how fast an image can circulate world wide.

Last fall, a California mom made her 11-year old daughter wear a sign and stand on a busy street corner for twerking at a school dance.

Last January, a photo of a dad standing next to his daughter with a photo of himself on the front and the words, “Try me”, went viral on Reddit. The dad made his daughter wear the shirt around school for a week as punishment for breaking curfew.

There is also that 2012 YouTube video of a dad shooting his daughter’s laptop after she posted things about him on Facebook.

Also, in 2012, an Ohio mom changed her daughter’s Facebook cover and profile so the words superimposed on it said, “I do not know how to keep my mouth shut. I am no longer allowed on Facebook or my phone. Please ask why, my mom says I have to answer everyone that asks.”

In August 2012, a South Carolina man mom made her son stand on a street corner with a body placard that read, “”Smoked pot, got caught! Don’t I look cool? Not!” and “Learn from me, don’t do drugs.”

A Florida teacher was fired in 2012 after she put dog “cone-of-shame” collars around the necks of tardy students and some of the kids posted the images on Facebook.

In November 2012, Florida parents of a 16-year old made her stand on a street corner with the sign “I sneak boys in at 3 AM and disrespect my parents and grandparents.”

All of these are attempts from parents to curb teen drinking, sexual activity, bullying or disrespect. Supporters of these shaming methods say that parents and caretakers have few options with unruly teens.

Many defenders of online shaming point to the fact that they were beaten as a kid and they turned out fine but they leave out the part that no-one saw their beating, especially not a half a million people. Nonetheless, they also assume the shaming will work.

Shaming doesn’t work

Nonetheless, history proves that these public humiliation punishments don’t always work.

In 2011, a teen boy who was beaten by his uncle in a viral video was later shot and killed in a gang-related incident. The mom said her son was bullied and teased a lot after the video went viral.

“I regret maybe not being a part of his life a little bit more after the video,” the uncle said after his nephew Michael Taylor was killed.

Clearly, the online beaten didn’t sway Taylor from continuing down that path he was going in anyway, and without more intervention and care, a beating may not be the end of bad behavior. In fact, the viral videos may foster more negative outcome than good.

When kids compare extreme punishments to those their peers receive for similar offenses, they might feel singled out and treated unfairly by their parents, which can create feelings of resentment and damage the relationship, a NannyWebsites post states. This could lead to further acting out, which results in a no-win power struggle.

“Teaching kids to be respectful includes treating them with respect,” says Annie Fox, M.Ed., teen/tween expert and parenting author o” Teaching Kids to be Good People”. “Disrespect is a boomerang.”

Shaming could leave a mark on the teen’s self-esteem and add to depression, anxiety or isolation. A child could feel personally rejected by their own support system, giving them the sense that no one is in their corner and that they lack self-worth. Add to that the potential that the embarrassing punishment itself could lead to teasing and bullying within the child’s social circle and it might very well result in a dangerously alienated young person.

In sum, many of the bad acts the kids are being punished for were known by a relatively small number of people and broadcasting it on the internet lets potentially millions more know. Where is the value in shaming a kid for life for one small lesson, especially when there is no guarantee that it will work?

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