For many school districts: competing mandates from state leaders and local health officials leaving teachers parents and kids in limbo. Our conversation with superintendent of EL Paso ISD on the practical challenges of reopening public schools. Also, more on a newly unveiled proposal to cut 130 million dollars from state health services as the Coronavirus fight continues. And 5 years after the death of Sandra Bland, the mark she left at her alma mater, and on a movement. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: July 15, 2020
Results from primary runoff day in Texas are setting the stage for a general election like few others in Texas history. We’ll take a look at the outcomes in some closely watched runoffs statewide and what the balloting hints at for election day in November. Also many companies asking for and getting getting a pass on environmental regulations in Texas. And in Lubbock: a test run for a return to campus in the fall, a Politifact check of a claim about the Texas education agency and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 14, 2020
New York City: once considered the national epicenter in the fight against COVID-19, now health experts fear a Texas city has taken its place. Hospitals in Houston struggling to deal with the pandemic on a scale similar to that of New York City in late spring. Our conversation with New York Times reporter Dr.Sherri Fink. Also, a warning from climatologists about a coming drought that could reshape Texas for the long term. And getting schooled by Selena: a Texas University launches a first of its kind course. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 8, 2020
As Texas reports 10,000 new COVID-19 cases, the state education agency announces guidelines for going back to school in the fall, we’ll have details. Also, with unemployment high, the special struggle to keep up with demand for food in remote parts of west Texas. And Texas Senator John Cornyn claims the last top to bottom criminal justice review was more than half a century ago. Is he right? A Politifact check. Also a new documentary on a flamboyant fortune teller who became a cultural icon for many in Texas and beyond. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 25, 2020
As COVID-19 cases spike the governor hints at new local restrictions and millions of Texas parents and students remain in limbo for the fall, we’ll have the latest. Also, new visa restrictions the president says is designed to help American citizens looking for jobs during the COVID-19 economic downturn. Texas could take a major hit: we’ll hear how and why. And as demands grow for police reform, tech companies stepping in to help people monitor interactions with police. Also the beginning of the end for college admissions testing? All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 18, 2020
The high court pushes back on a DACA rollback, but leaves open many questions about the future of the program that protects hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, we’ll take a closer look. Also, understanding Juneteenth: a firsthand reflection on its importance. Plus the first FDA approved video game: a high tech prescription to help young people with attention deficit challenges. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 12, 2020
In Dallas, President Trump calls for force with compassion in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests in Texas and around the nation. We’ll hear from Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas morning news who was there. Also as COVID-19 hospitalization numbers rise to new records in Texas, concerns that hospitals may not be able to meet even relaxed guidelines for personal protective equipment. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 20, 2020
In a state with one of the lowest health insurance rates in the nation, a dangerous dip in coverage for many more Texans, we’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re covering, the Texan in line to become the nation’s next top intelligence official. We’ll hear what’s at stake as the Senate takes up the nomination of Republican John Radcliffe of Heath to be the next director of national intelligence. Also, despite a ban on such events, a small group in Texas gets one of the nation’s first live in person graduations of 2020. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 7, 2020
As many Texans face economic hardship, a new study shows a growing trend toward taking debtors to court, we’ll have the latest. Also, anyone else ready for a haircut? Are you sure? As the governor relaxes orders to keep salons and barbershops closed, concerns about reopening on Friday. And Dr.Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio taking on more listener questions about COVID-19. And higher ed students finishing studies for the year, tho many cant go home. Plus Omar Gallaga with the scoop on scooters hitting Texas sized potholes. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
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Most Texas students are finishing the 2019-2020 school year online — at least as much as possible. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: March 27, 2020
Concerns about safety for people in detention and behind bars in Texas. Whats best for their health and efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19? We’ll explore. Also, a steep learning curve for stay at home students statewide, as well as their parents and teachers. We’ll hear about that challenge. And in a state that loves pickup trucks, how manufacturers are shifting gears, using parts to help wage war against the Coronavirus. Plus with bars and music venues shuttered all over Texas, the parties move inside and online this weekend. All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 12, 2020
Fighting fear in the Alamo city, site of a federally mandated quarantine. We’ll have a conversation with Mayor Ron Nirenberg for more information. Also, the latest on spring break extensions, school shutdowns and sports cancellations in Texas and further afield amid Coronavirus concerns. And a Supreme Court win for the Trump administration’s remain in Mexico policy for asylum seekers. But some aren’t even getting to wait in Mexico for their hearings as they’re boarded onto planes and told to seek asylum first in Guatemala. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 10, 2020
Ted Cruz has done it. Others in Texas are being urged to do it too. What does it mean to self-quarantine? And what are best practices? We’ll have answers. Also, a big time downturn in Texas oil country: how low could prices go, and at what point might widespread layoffs ripple across the Lone Star State? And Fort worth schools trying to bounce back from a hack, we’ll explain. Plus, is the use of CBD products protected by federal law? A case out of San Antonio raising questions about CBD, drug tests, and reasonable accommodation by employers. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 4, 2020
At least we know who the loser was in the Iowa caucuses last night. We’ll have more on the Texas implications. Also, as the Trump administration claims down on asylum seekers, immigration attorneys are forging new legal pathways. We’ll hear about one of them. Also one of the greatest authors of the Americas re-considered in a bilingual exhibit launched in the Texas capitol city. Plus changing attitudes among Texans when it comes to gun control. More in favor? More on that story and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: Holding On Tight Is Easier Than Letting Go. Why We Need To Learn How To Do Both Well.
As Dr. Ed Burger prepares to leave Southwestern University to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation in Austin, Texas, he and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the art of letting go, as they wrap up the KUT podcast “Higher Ed.”
Ed says “letting go” in the workplace starts with a pretty straightforward assessment.
“That’s a great test. In the middle of working on something, just stop and say right there and then, ‘whose job am I doing right now?'” says Ed. “And if it’s not your own, you should stop – if you want to embrace the art of letting go.”
But Ed acknowledges “letting go” when the emotional stakes are higher presents more of a challenge.
“It is so easy to hold the unpleasant things or the poisonous things that we experience – the negative stimulation around us,” says Ed. How we let that go, he continues, is what dictates how joyful a life we can lead.
So how does one go about “letting go?”
Some ideas from Ed:
* Trust other people.
* Share responsibility and accountability with others.
* Exercise mindfulness.
* Embrace different points of view.
*Forgive.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about grappling with letting go. For this final episode of “Higher Ed” we have practiced the art of letting go by ditching the puzzler!
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
Higher Ed: Learning From Failure (And Then Letting It Go)
In the very first episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton talked about the importance of failure to learning. Has any thinking changed about that concept in the past five years?
Ed says he has greater clarity now than he had five years ago about one aspect of effective failure. He says he better understands the difference between just bouncing back from failure and actually learning from it.
“It’s not the mistake, it’s what comes next,” says Ed. “If you make a mistake and say ‘well, that didn’t work; I’m going to try something else,’ that’s tenacity, which is fantastic and perseverance, which is wonderful. But it’s not effective failure.”
So what exactly is effective failure?
“It’s stopping and it’s holding that attempt that didn’t work, ” says Ed. “And instead of doing the cultural norm, which is to pretend it didn’t happen and sweep it under the rug…instead of focusing on perfection, focus on the process.”
Ed believes that what makes a failure “effective” is the evaluation that follows.
“You hold that failed attempt in your mind until you have an epiphany, until you have an insight,” suggests Ed. “Until you see something that was there but you hadn’t seen before. And then you can dismiss it, let it go and do something else.”
And Ed says that “letting go” is crucial to the process so that people do not get stuck wallowing in their failures.
“That letting go… can be challenging for some people who do not want to let go and who say ‘see, I’m not good at that; I can’t do it,’ ” Ed points out. “But instead … the letting go is just as important as the learning.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more about incorporating effective failure into daily life and learning. That opportunity may present itself before the episode even ends (depending on the solution to last episode’s puzzler about art with matchsticks!).
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
Higher Ed: Be Grateful For The Frustration That Can Come With Learning. You’ll Learn From That, Too.
“Thank you” may not always be the words that come to mind when struggling through a difficult lesson or dealing with a mountain of homework in school. But in this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the role that gratitude can play in learning and education.
Ed firmly believes that those two little words can play a big part in enhancing learning – especially when the going seems tough.
“What if that frustration actually ended up being kind of a positive? What if we became grateful for being frustrated, as a state?” asks Ed. “The truth is, I think that gratitude is such a powerful mindset to move us in a positive direction.”
Ed maintains that expressions of gratitude have a ripple effect on all manner of work in and out of school.
“If we can embrace gratitude and be thankful for any aspect of life or any aspect of one’s work, it uplifts us,” says Ed. “It allows us to be more creative, to be more innovative, to see things more clearly, [and] to look for opportunities and potential.”
For some people, expressing gratitude feels difficult. Ed understands where that comes from says the benefits are worth the effort.
“It’s a vulnerability, and we don’t like being vulnerable. We don’t like to put our feelings and our heart on our sleeves,” says Ed. “But, we have to remember that we are human. To embrace our humanity is a great gift to ourselves and to others. And one way to embrace our humanity is to show appreciation and to express gratitude.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about the benefits of being grateful. And hopefully. you will be thankful for a new puzzler.
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
Higher Ed: Really Good At Something In School Or Work? Beware Of The “Success Trap”
Who does not appreciate making high grades in a certain subject or getting glowing performance reviews at work? In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore the lure of the “success trap” and how to avoid it.
What exactly is the “success trap?” It is the pull or desire to continue doing that which brings the greatest external praise or reward just because of that success. (Think: I’m really good at Math. I’ll major in that. I hate it, but I’m good at it.)
Here is how Ed sees it:
“When someone is successful at something….that’s a silly reason to actually go and pursue it,” Ed believes. “But the question is: just because one is good at something, does that potentially dismiss the possibility of doing something that might bring you greater joy [or] might be actually something you’re even better at or something that you’re just actually drawn to and otherwise you wouldn’t give it a shot?”
Ed is quick to add that he does not think people shoud ditch their successful endeavors and move on if those pursuits still bring joy.
“If that success is something that continues to bring an individual satisfaction and joy and a sense of accomplishment, that’s great; I’m not suggesting everyone’s gotta shake it up,” says Ed. “That should not confine us to look at other possibilities and other opportunities because maybe your gifts and your talents can be amplified in a different direction that we wouldn’t consider otherwise.”
So how can people break out of their comfort zone and avoid that “success trap?”
Ed says it begins with deliberate and thoughtful effort.
“It’s all with intentionality,” says Ed. “If you’re going to hope that you accidentally stumble upon something I would say you have to be really lucky…. you can create your own good luck with intentionality – intentionally assessing.”
Listen to the fill episode to hear more from Ed about when the time is right to do that kind of assessment.
It is definitely the right time for the solution to last episode’s puzzler about dealing with cards missing from a deck.
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
Higher Ed: The Key To Dissipating Regret? Use It To Spur Action And Change
A podcast listener wrote in asking for guidance about how to handle the regret she feels over the choices she made in college. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton examine regret and the ways in which it can actually inspire positive change.
A podcast listener named Rebekah wrote in with the following question: “Sometimes when I listen to your podcast…I get a bit sad because I did not do all the things you talk about. I did not fit in at my college. I did not learn deeply. I focused on the wrong things and it hurts to think that maybe my life could have been better if only….What would Ed say to me about my sorrow over my misspent youth or lost opportunities?”
Ed’s first response? “I think it’s fantastic that Rebekah has regret!”
And why is that?
Ed says he looks at regret as a signal of a couple of things, one of them being personal growth.
“Regret is something that means that she has grown from where she was to where she is now,” Ed maintains. “So if nothing else, she needs to celebrate the fact that she looks at, in this case, her formal education in a different way. That’s huge growth and that’s worthy of celebration in and of itself.”
Ed believes regret truly becomes useful when that feeling prompts action.
“When you feel that, now there’s an action item. What are you going to do about it?” asks Ed. “It’s never too late to be learning.”
Ed says listening to that inner voice that fuels feelings of regret can help spur that action.
“If there’s a longing in us today that is something that could lead us to become [an] ever better, more amplified version of ourselves then we need to embrace that longing and take action. That’s the key to regret,” Ed believes. “Sitting by and just going ‘oh, woe is me’ – that’s ineffective.”
Ed says understanding why we feel regret for things done (or not done) in the past can also help us take action that will prevent similar regret later on. Listen to the full episode to hear more about what Ed calls “intellectual regret prevention” and to get the solution to last episode’s shape-shifting puzzler.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.
Higher Ed: Letting Go Of The “Noise” To Prioritize Better In School And Life
Most people – students included – have a long to-do list but are short on ideas for how to tackle it. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss strategies for deciding what should top the list.
Ed suggests that removing things from the list might actually be an effective first step in prioritizing what is there.
“I just look at them, and if I can dispense with it instantly, I just do,” says Ed. “And that could be including just forwarding it on to the right person…. That gets a lot of stuff off your desk immediately.”
Okay, so now that the list is shorter, what is the best way to determine what gets attention first? This is where some discernment comes in.
“There’s stuff that you just have to say, ‘I can’t worry about that. That is just a distraction,'” says Ed. “And that I think is the ultimate in prioritizing which is saying, ‘that’s essential. This is exactly why I exist. And this is just noise.’ And the noise you have to let go.”
When those essential tasks are chosen, Ed then advocates for working in parallel on items on the list rather than trying to get them completely finished one by one.
“Just do something for a little bit,” suggests Ed. “And then if all of a sudden you’ve lost your mojo on that thing, then just put it aside and don’t say ‘I’m going to push right through that’ say ‘okay, enough of that, let me do something else.'”
Ed concedes there is a practical side to prioritizing work and tasks but also an emotional side. Listen to the entire episode to hear more about how to make peace with prioritizing – especially when other people are unhappy with those decisions. And you will want to make the new puzzler a priority for this week; it is a little bit math and a little bit art.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.