The Cleburne Eagle News (Cleburne, Tex.), Ed. 1 Thursday, February 13, 2014 Page: 4 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Johnson County and Cleburne Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Johnson County Historical Commission.
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CLEBURNE EAGLE NEWS FEBRUARY 13 2014, PAGE 4
By: Joel Victory
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The Markets
better results.
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Let us continue to pray, work, sacrifice and do whatever it
takes to protect the freedoms guaranteed in our constitu-
tion!
FRIEND US ON
FACEBOOK:
CLEBURNE EAGLE
Included are some of the ideas of successful teachers and
students that are pretty important things to follow in our own
schools.
I read that one trait of successful schools was to pay atten-
tion to the emotional status of both students and teachers, as
well as their health.
This sounds pretty simple on the face, but when considered
as a part of our daily, weekly, or yearly program it becomes
quite important.
Successful schools operate as a team, with respect for each
group including the kids, teachers, administration and other
employees. We’ve not talking about the usual token steps,
but a full blown requirement of all staff and operation em-
ployees to make this show of mutual respect a part of their
daily work routine. When this is a part of a school it pro-
duces self-reliant, high achieving students that are equipped
for the challenges of high school and college, as well as the
work place.
Some of these noticeable traits that are a significant part of
successful schools are these listed. (1) A supportive atmo-
sphere in school and activities that makes the students feel
welcome and safe, as well as happy to be there. Teachers
know each child’s name and their own learning styles. Suc-
cessful schools have a bond between the children and one or
more teachers. Teachers practice personalized education to
each student that make that child feel like they belong and
are needed. Students that feel this way usually participate
and respond better in class room issues.
(2) A successful school operates as a support group for each
child, giving personalized attention to each child’s strengths
and weaknesses, and particular learning styles. Children are
given hands on activities and encouraged to think indepen-
dently. They are encouraged to be active and interested citi-
zens in their classes, school, playgrounds and community.
(3) Good leadership is a trait of successful school, where
those leaders have the ability to delegate, communicate, and
elicit confidence, enthusiasm, and dedication to employees
of the schools, the citizens in the community and the parents
of the students. These leaders and teachers in a successful
school embrace mentoring, and be there for any student to
turn to for advice or communications.
(4) Successful schools demand and expect high expecta-
tions and encourage all employees to join in. Clearly defined
goals, both educational and behavioral are expected. Suc-
cessful schools have leaders that have the ability to com-
municate and convey a partnership rather than a adversarial
arrangement.
(5) Teamwork is an important part of all successful schools.
High performing schools have definite goals, core values
and planning to make sure everyone is one the same page
and agrees with the direction they are traveling. Communi-
cations are a strong part of teamwork within the high per-
forming schools, as they work as teams with specific end
goals in place and each person doing their part for the end
results. Problems are met head-on in a successful high per-
forming school, and resolved with the team efforts.
(6) Teachers at high performing schools are involved not
only with the students, but the community also. They work
to make the families of their students feel equal in the goals
they share for the kids. In these type schools moral is very
high and turnover of teachers is very low.
(7) Parental involvement is an essential part of high per-
forming schools and the teachers work to make the parents
feel welcome and part of the pieces needed to educate their
children. The teachers learn to take up the slack when par-
ents can’t participate as much as they would like because of
work related issues or health. Many kids in high performing
schools become a part of the extended family of many of the
teachers, as they fill the role as mentor, friend, and teacher
to those students.
These are a few of the traits that high performing schools
excel in and are responsible for some of the higher grades
and happy students in these schools.
While reading on this topic I ran across some of the traits
of successful teachers that I thought I would share with the
readers.
(1) A sense of Humor. We all know this helps make the day
a little more pleasant and in classes full of kids it is most
important.
(2) A positive attitude. Here’s another one teachers display
and don’t get enough recognition for. Can you imagine the
frantic pace of trying to keep 20-to 30 kids on the same sub-
ject every day?
(3) High expectations is a part of each teacher from the
day they start in the classroom. They work to get the very
most they can for all their kids and do it year after year after
year.
(4) Consistency. Teachers work hard to make the students
feel they will be treated the same each and every day and
will be graded the same. This is a hard chore for the teacher
to follow with all the interruptions and disturbances that oc-
cur on a daily basis.
(5) Fairness is part of the teachers makeup. They strive to
give the same treatment to each child under their care, even
the ones that are prone to try the teacher’s patience. Chil-
dren learn about fairness from their teachers as they travel
through school and the teachers do a good jog showing the
kids the correct path to follow.
(6) Flexibility is a must have trait for all teachers. The daily
rigor of accidents, changes in enrollment, sickness, the dif-
ferent financial situations the students are living in and any-
thing else that comes along makes this trait a necessity for
every teacher in every school. Teachers know when to use
sternness and when to lower the rules just a tab.
Teachers wear many coats as they go along for years holding
our kids hands and guiding them into young adulthood. They
do a wonderful job and get little credit. They are the single
most important bond with our children throughout their for-
mal education. If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it!
You can contact me at: 817-925-3149 or wgdemp@gmail.
com
LIFE CARE PLANNING
BY SANDRAW. REED
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•L—IWLL- • I
I INVESTING )
calculate how much the “guilty pleasures” cost over a
thirty year span.
Remember the stakes are higher for proper plan-
ning in the thirties. The longer planning mistakes are
left uncorrected, the shorter the time for the adjustments
implemented to have beneficial effects. It’s just that sim-
ple.
Sandra W. Reed is an attorney practicing in Glen Rose.
She is Of Counsel with the Elder Law firm of Katten &
Benson in Fort Worth. Contact her at 254-797-021 lor at
swreed2@yahoo.com.
817-645-6800 5Q1N. Nolan River Rd, Cleburne 866-810-6800
ip"T-°
www.victoryinvestmentstrategies.com
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American stocks bounced last week like a skier pounding
moguls on an Olympic freestyle course. Some found it dif-
ficult to understand why stocks had their best week since
December of 2013. Barron’s said:
“We just can’t figure out why the markets were strong. It’s
not like the news this week was terribly good. The Insti-
tute for Supply Management’s manufacturing survey fell
to 51.3, well below forecasts for 56.5. The U.S. added just
117,000 jobs, well below forecasts for 170,000. You would
think investors would be worried that the economy was run-
ning out of steam.”
Experts cited in the article suggested banks have been eas-
ing lending standards. Historically, that has been a positive
for the economy and may offer insight to gross domestic
product growth, industrial production, employment, and
profit margins months from now. Others believe the down-
turn was due to hedge funds derisking their portfolios, and
some credit earnings with stocks’ positive movement as al-
most 66 percent of companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500
Index that have reported this quarter have exceeded earn-
ings expectations forecast by analysts.
Bonds aren’t doing what they were expected to do either.
When the Federal Reserve sounded the bell in January -
marking the beginning of the end for its third and biggest
round of bond buying (called quantitative easing or QE) -
it seemed logical bond prices would fall and interest rates
rise. After all, basic economic theory suggests less demand
should drive prices lower. Perversely, despite the Fed re-
ducing its purchases, Treasury bonds have gained value and
yields have fallen. The same thing happened when the Fed
ended the first two rounds of quantitative easing and may
reflect fear that economies will lose momentum without the
Fed’s strong monetary support.
Let’s hope markets continue to do as well as America’s
snowboarders. Last week, Americans took Olympic gold
(in the men’s and women’s events) on a slope-style course
many competitors had trouble navigating and believed
might be too risky.
HOW HAVE LOW INTEREST RATES AFFECTED
ECONOMIES, GOVERNMENTS, AND INDIVIDUALS
DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS? Late last year, McK-
insey & Company released a report that took a closer look
at “the distributional affects and risks” of quantitative eas-
ing (QE) and low interest rates. In other words, who was
affected by QE and low rates and how?
If you’re an investor with an interest in income, you’ve
probably got a pretty good idea about how it affected you!
The report found, from 2007 through 2012, households in
the United Kingdom and the United States:
“.. .together lost $630 billion in net interest income, although
the impact varies across groups. Younger households that
are net borrowers have benefited, while older households
with significant interest-bearing assets have lost income.”
The other side of that coin is declining yields caused the
value of previously-issued bonds to increase. McKinsey es-
timated corporate and government bonds in the Eurozone,
United Kingdom, and United States gained about $16 tril-
lion in value during the period. Housing prices also may
have benefitted as the cost of mortgage credit fell.
British and American households weren’t the only ones af-
fected by central bank policies. McKinsey found govern-
ments in both regions benefited to the tune of about $1.6
trillion! In part, this was because debt service costs - the
money required to cover the payment of interest and princi-
pal on debts - was significantly reduced during the period.
Corporate profits also got a boost from low rates. The study
found U.S. and U.K. corporate profits also benefitted as
companies in each country gained about 5 percent during
2012 because of ultra-low interest rates. Higher profits,
unfortunately, did not translate into higher investment pos-
sibly because of tighter lending standards and uncertainty
over recovery. According to The Economist:
“In the United States, net private non-residential invest-
ment fell by 80 percent as a percentage of GDP between
2007 and 2009. Although it has recovered since then, U.S.
business investment is still at its lowest level as a share of
GDP since at least 1947. Investment in Europe is similarly
weak.”
Why look at distributional impacts? It helps economists
identify risks countries may face in the future. For instance,
The Economist estimated governments may see debt ser-
vice costs increase by as much as 20 percent. In the United
States, that would translate into $75 billion annually.
Weekly Focus - Think About It
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be
seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.”
—Helen Keller, American author and political activist
rt1
8 8
- -
Life Care Planning For Your Thirties
Who Are the Thirty-Somethings?
Adults in their 30s today were bom between 1974 - 1984.
According to some commentators, the early part of that
decade birthed “Generation X” or the “Gen Xers.” Other
commentators have dubbed them “Millennials” or “Gen
Y” wpw
The researchers argue, not only about what to call those •
born during this period, but what years it spans and what“
typifies the group. On one debate fence side sit William t There are some pretty good ideas
Straus and Neil Howe, who predict in their book, Millen-' . involved and a definite message
ni:als.Rising, The Next GreatGeneration, that this group "—6. ' _ of what many seem to think gets
will become highly civic minded, with a sense of commu-
nity that extends beyond the local to the global. Across
the fence, stand William A. Draves and Julie Coates, who
argue in Nine Shift: Work, Life and Education in the 21st
Century, that the Millennials demonstrate behaviors, val-
ues and attitudes of narcissism and self-centeredness.
Draves and Coates blame the “me, me, me” tendencies
they see in Gen X and Gen Y technological and economic
influences spawned by the Internet.
Although both sides’ views are speculative, some find-
ings give insight into Millennials’ thinking. According
to a survey of entering college students conducted by
UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, 70% of
Gen Xers and 75% of Millennials view getting rich as a
high priority. Only 45% of Millennials said that develop-
ing “a meaningful philosophy of life” was of high impor-
tance. (See the"Millennials" Wikipedia entry, as source
of these statistics and for more on the subject.)
Life Care Planning Intensifies In the Thirties
I like the optimistic version of the Millennials future. Re-
gardless of which prevails, the Millennials will need Life
Care Planning to succeed personally and financially in
order give back as civic-minded citizens. Their road to
success has been negatively impacted by a recession that
has lasted five years and created a weakened job market,
a market of which they are a large part. According to the
U.S. Bureau of Statistics, Millennials will make up 50%
of the workforce by 2020.
This generation looks at a career path much differently
than did earlier ones. In Forbes magazine Kate Taylor
writes that, instead of hunkering down with one career
and a single employer, they tend to leave a company in
fewer than three years. This generation diverges in its
view of family life, as well, with many delaying child-
birth until mid-to late 30s and even into their 40s.
Nancy Anderson, another Forbes contributor, advises
these job-hopping Thirty- Somethings to carefully com-
pare the retirement and insurance benefits offered by each
employer considered. She gives this example: a 30-year-
old with a salary of $75,000 a year, who saves 10% and
earns 8% (a tough goal in today’s world) would have
$600,000.00 at age 55. A 30-year- old, whose employer
matches his 10% with a 5% contribution and a 5% profit-
sharing plan, can accrue $1.2 million by age 55.
Aware that many Thirty-Somethings are waiting until
their thirties to marry for the first time, Ms Anderson also
suggests choosing a partner carefully and planning on
inking of marriage for life. She focuses on the devastat-
ing effects, emotionally and financially, of divorce. It is
a small leap from her advice to the admonition to take all
steps possible to stay together, unless the relationship is
abusive, physically or emotionally.
If children are a desirable part of the future, Ms Anderson
and other experts, advocate that Millennials have babies
earlier than later. The medical profession lays out the
health risks to mother and child of delay. As might be
expected, the Forbes writer stresses the economics of
having children earlier. Waiting until until 35 to start a
family means the end of those expensive college years
won’t come until parents are 60 or older, leaving fewer
years to focus on retirement savings.
By their thirties, most Millennials will have moved out of
Mom and Dad’s house. Then they are faced with the de-
cision whether to rent or to buy. The resolution reached
will depend on consideration of a number of factors and
requires a sophisticated analysis to determine, economi-
cally, which is the best strategy and for how long.
Life Care Planning Checklist for Thirty Somethings
Continue to adhere to the checklist for the Twen-
ty Somethings.
Make detailed comparisons of the advantages
and disadvantages of renting or purchasing shelter. Be
certain to include the cost of borrowing through a mort-
gage, utility costs, including water, sewage, heating and
cooling, maintenance, improvements, taxes and insur-
ance as compared with a monthly rental fee. Don’t as-
sume appreciation from purchasing a residence and don’t
neglect the potential of an increase in rent.
Update these legal documents: (1) Medical Pow-
er of Attorney; (2) Statutory Durable Power of Attorney;
(3) Medical Directive; and (4) will. If the last will was
executed before having a child, it is essential to execute a
new will or add a codicil to the old will, naming a guard-
ian to care for these children in the event both parents are
unable to care for them due to death or incapacity. Con-
sider additional revisions to these legal documents due to |
any change of circumstances, such as divorce, deaths or |
incapacities of named executors or other representatives I
or beneficiaries or acquisitions of significant property.
Keep track of expenses and curtail the cost of I
consumables wherever possible. For instance, give up I
the twice-a-day Starbucks fix, the two glasses of wine I
a night instead of one. Drop the gym membership you I
never use. Avoid purchasing unneeded items because the I
sales price is such a bargain. To make it easier to abstain, I
_ Reading several article this past
p week gave me a little insight into
what goes on in the more suc-
cessful high schools across the
Tnation.
There are some nrettv pood ideas
SPOTLIGHT ON )
EDUCATION J
‘h By: Wendell Dempsey
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Oaks, Judy & Oaks, Kelly. The Cleburne Eagle News (Cleburne, Tex.), Ed. 1 Thursday, February 13, 2014, newspaper, February 13, 2014; Cleburne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1499838/m1/4/?q=%22Business%2C+Economics+and+Finance+-+Advertising%22: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Johnson County Historical Commission.