Thursday, April 17, 2014
Compound Complex Sentence
As important as it is, working should be more of a hobby than a job; it should be something you enjoy doing every single day.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Book Review
"May the odds be ever in your favor." This is the most popular quote from one of the most popular books all across the globe. This book describes a world-wide event that requires a lot of skill and a survival technique in order to stay alive, while going against other human beings from different parts of the world. Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games engaged me with its exciting line of events and mesmerizing description of the characters and setting.
The Hunger Games teaches a very life oriented lesson of "you get out of it what you put in to it." Two of the main characters, Katniss and Peeta, put everything they have and risk their lives in order to save each other from everyone and anything else that is in the way of their goal, winning the Hunger Games. In chapter 4, paragraph 48, Katniss says, "The bow and arrow is my weapon. But I've spent a fair amount of time throwing knives as well." She knows what she is good at and what she will have to use and do in order to give herself the best possible chance to win. Using the bow and arrow is her specialty, and she has obviously put a lot of time into getting extremely skilled at it, but she has spent a lot of time learning how to use other weapons as well. She is up for anything. Although Katniss Everdeen comes across as a very tough female, I believe that she really does have a soft side and has a warm heart. In chapter 2, paragraph 48, Katniss talks about Peeta in saying, "To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed." Peeta and Katniss' relationship is based on a sacrifice that he made for her, bringing her a load of bread when her family was starving. Even though, she likes another guy, Gale, I think she feels something with Peeta as well. She knows there is something there, and the fact that Peeta filled his "manly duties" when he sacrificed some of his time to take care of her and her family makes the connection between the two a little bit stronger. We may not be sacrificing our lives and killing each other, but I feel as if this whole game represents our society as a whole. As stated in chapter 1, paragraph 76, "Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy." Our government seems as if it is lacking in its duties to keep our country civilized and under reform. We are not killing each other, but it may somehow feel as if we are swallowing each other.
The lessons taught in this book may not be right out in the open; however, they are very meaningful to life, you just have to look for them. This story is very good and should be recommended to anyone who loves an exciting story with rich detail.
The Hunger Games teaches a very life oriented lesson of "you get out of it what you put in to it." Two of the main characters, Katniss and Peeta, put everything they have and risk their lives in order to save each other from everyone and anything else that is in the way of their goal, winning the Hunger Games. In chapter 4, paragraph 48, Katniss says, "The bow and arrow is my weapon. But I've spent a fair amount of time throwing knives as well." She knows what she is good at and what she will have to use and do in order to give herself the best possible chance to win. Using the bow and arrow is her specialty, and she has obviously put a lot of time into getting extremely skilled at it, but she has spent a lot of time learning how to use other weapons as well. She is up for anything. Although Katniss Everdeen comes across as a very tough female, I believe that she really does have a soft side and has a warm heart. In chapter 2, paragraph 48, Katniss talks about Peeta in saying, "To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed." Peeta and Katniss' relationship is based on a sacrifice that he made for her, bringing her a load of bread when her family was starving. Even though, she likes another guy, Gale, I think she feels something with Peeta as well. She knows there is something there, and the fact that Peeta filled his "manly duties" when he sacrificed some of his time to take care of her and her family makes the connection between the two a little bit stronger. We may not be sacrificing our lives and killing each other, but I feel as if this whole game represents our society as a whole. As stated in chapter 1, paragraph 76, "Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy." Our government seems as if it is lacking in its duties to keep our country civilized and under reform. We are not killing each other, but it may somehow feel as if we are swallowing each other.
The lessons taught in this book may not be right out in the open; however, they are very meaningful to life, you just have to look for them. This story is very good and should be recommended to anyone who loves an exciting story with rich detail.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Current Connection 3.2
In a recent article titled, "Sports Have Positive Effect on Students," it tells about the good that can come out of being involved in some type of sport while you're in High School. Some people may say that being in athletics and keeping your school work and grades under control is a lot of work and too much for a teenager, but according to this article and other news reports, it actually appears to make a positive influence on a teens school work rather than a negative one.
This article states in paragraph 1, "Middle and high school students who participate in sports express less hostility toward their classmates and are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, according to the preliminary results of an ongoing national study." By participating in some sort of sport or athletics, students appear to be a lot nicer and more caring of their peers and everyone else around them. There is also a bigger chance of an athlete to finish high school and go on to college to get a better education. I don't know what it is about athletics, but more athletes appear to attend college than other students who are not involved in anything. Also stated in this article, in paragraph 5, it says, "Preliminary analyses also show that schools where teachers and principals report placing strong emphasis on sports and extracurricular activities experience lower levels of conflict among students of different races." Being on a team teaches you a lot of life lessons and pretty much opens your eyes to the rest of the world. A lot of students make fun of or criticize someone else because maybe they're not the same color as them, or they speak a different language, but being on a team allows you to be around more of these types of people and get to know them. More athletes are less likely to bully or make fun of someone who's different than themselves for that reason.
Located in paragraph 2, the article says, "Sports require teamwork in the pursuit of mutual goals to achieve success. With sports, young people learn to recognize and value the unique and important contributions of their diverse teammates." Learning new things about life and everything else is a huge part to growing up and becoming a responsible adult. Being involved in a sport and being on a team is a huge part of that. There are so many new things and aspects of the game and life that can be learned through athletics without even realizing it. Data supported in the article, in paragraph 3, says, "African American student-athletes are 10 percent more likely than non-athletes to plan to take college AP courses and 10 percent more likely to make plans for attending college." I think the rule of not being able to play your specific sport unless you make the grades has a lot to do with the success in the classroom by all athletes. No athlete wants to be told they can't play their sport that they love. So in order to continue and have fun and do what they love to do, they have to keep business taken care of in the classroom which leads to great educational success by athletes everywhere.
Being on a team and deeply involved in a sport can teach you so many different life lessons that you don't even realize. I know that I, myself, have learned so much by being several different teams and being really involved in at least 2 different sports. I have learned to work well with other people, which is actually led me to meet so many new people and make new friends as well. It has also taught me many different little lessons such as, "you get what you put out" or "believe you can do it, and you will" just to name a couple of examples. Being on a team and involved in something so amazing does a lot for yourself and impacts the rest of your life. The stuff you learn will forever stay with you and will be something you can use anytime while growing up.
Whether people realize it or not, the impact athletics has on kids and teens is unbelievable. Being an athlete myself, I can really relate anything an athlete is going through or experiencing. Believe it or not, but being involved in a sport actually helps your grades out and will more than likely cause you to attend college and get the best education you possibly can. Sports affect students in many positive ways and teach so many different lessons about life that will stick with you and help you grow into the most amazing person everyone knows you can be.
This article states in paragraph 1, "Middle and high school students who participate in sports express less hostility toward their classmates and are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, according to the preliminary results of an ongoing national study." By participating in some sort of sport or athletics, students appear to be a lot nicer and more caring of their peers and everyone else around them. There is also a bigger chance of an athlete to finish high school and go on to college to get a better education. I don't know what it is about athletics, but more athletes appear to attend college than other students who are not involved in anything. Also stated in this article, in paragraph 5, it says, "Preliminary analyses also show that schools where teachers and principals report placing strong emphasis on sports and extracurricular activities experience lower levels of conflict among students of different races." Being on a team teaches you a lot of life lessons and pretty much opens your eyes to the rest of the world. A lot of students make fun of or criticize someone else because maybe they're not the same color as them, or they speak a different language, but being on a team allows you to be around more of these types of people and get to know them. More athletes are less likely to bully or make fun of someone who's different than themselves for that reason.
Located in paragraph 2, the article says, "Sports require teamwork in the pursuit of mutual goals to achieve success. With sports, young people learn to recognize and value the unique and important contributions of their diverse teammates." Learning new things about life and everything else is a huge part to growing up and becoming a responsible adult. Being involved in a sport and being on a team is a huge part of that. There are so many new things and aspects of the game and life that can be learned through athletics without even realizing it. Data supported in the article, in paragraph 3, says, "African American student-athletes are 10 percent more likely than non-athletes to plan to take college AP courses and 10 percent more likely to make plans for attending college." I think the rule of not being able to play your specific sport unless you make the grades has a lot to do with the success in the classroom by all athletes. No athlete wants to be told they can't play their sport that they love. So in order to continue and have fun and do what they love to do, they have to keep business taken care of in the classroom which leads to great educational success by athletes everywhere.
Being on a team and deeply involved in a sport can teach you so many different life lessons that you don't even realize. I know that I, myself, have learned so much by being several different teams and being really involved in at least 2 different sports. I have learned to work well with other people, which is actually led me to meet so many new people and make new friends as well. It has also taught me many different little lessons such as, "you get what you put out" or "believe you can do it, and you will" just to name a couple of examples. Being on a team and involved in something so amazing does a lot for yourself and impacts the rest of your life. The stuff you learn will forever stay with you and will be something you can use anytime while growing up.
Whether people realize it or not, the impact athletics has on kids and teens is unbelievable. Being an athlete myself, I can really relate anything an athlete is going through or experiencing. Believe it or not, but being involved in a sport actually helps your grades out and will more than likely cause you to attend college and get the best education you possibly can. Sports affect students in many positive ways and teach so many different lessons about life that will stick with you and help you grow into the most amazing person everyone knows you can be.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Current Connection 3.1
Inside a recent article titled, "How Do Sports Affect High School Athletes In A Positive Way?" it tells about the positive affects that athletics has on High School athletes in their social, health, and educational lives.Some parents are afraid to stick their child in athletics because they think that maybe their grades won't be up to par, or something else could go wrong. When in all reality, being in athletics sounds really great when talking about the benefits that could come from it.
In the third paragraph, the article states, " Additionally, the social interaction gained through sports teaches teens work with a team, solve interpersonal conflicts and communicate in an effective manner with others." By being an athlete you learn many different skills and get better at your sport, but not only that, you are able to learn other skills that don't have to do with your sport as well. Learning to work together with a team, and being able to talk out disagreements with other people is a skill that you will need for the rest of your life. The article also says in paragraph 3, "Playing sports helps teenagers develop a healthy sense of competition within a friendly, team-oriented environment." A little competition in any type of situation is always good. By playing sports, teenagers learn how to be competitive without being overly competitive. Learning how to cope with competition and not always coming out on top is good for someone, and will teach them lessons that they'll have to deal with in any career they pick out for themselves.
During paragraph 4, the article talks about the development of a mental well-being when saying, "Sports participation also encourages teens to handle difficult situations and disappointments with maturity and professionalism." Being able to handle hard situations is a part of life that everyone needs to learn. Life is full of let-downs and disappointments, you just have to know how to handle the situation when it gets put in front of you, and I think being involved in sports and athletics where you are going to fail takes a huge part in learning how to cope with those situations. This same paragraph talks about how, "Improved self-confidence and confidence in the team often results, which can positively affect a wide array of other aspects in a young person’s life." Self-confidence is one of the greatest things anyone can have. It shows up not only when you're performing a task or talking to someone, but also on the outside when just walking around or the way you present yourself. Being self-confident can you help you in so many ways throughout life, and it all could be learned by just being involved in a sport.
Not only do athletics help out a teenager tremendously in the mental and social areas, but health wise as well. As stated in paragraph 2 of the article, "Preventing the negative effects of excess weight is one of the primary benefits of participation in high school athletics." In order to live a healthy life, exercising is a must. By starting out young and being involved in athletics, you can get in the habit of exercising on a daily basis which will more than likely lead on into your adult life where you can continue living healthy. This paragraph also states, "This leads to healthier adult lifestyle habits that reduce the risk for diabetes and heart disease, obesity and other chronic ailments." With this healthy lifestyle leading on into your adult life, it can really help a person out in the long run. By being healthy and exercising every day like they should be, someone can avoid getting a disease or chronic illness.
I know that athletes are the ones who usually do better in school. Stated in paragraph 5, "Aside from the substantial health benefits, girls who participate in sports do better academically, with fewer disciplinary issues and lower drop-out rates than sedentary girls, according to "Healthy You Magazine" online." Us, as girls, know that to be able to play the sport we love, we must keep our grades up and high enough to be eligible to play. This simply means that athletics have a huge impact on our studies and the way we perform in school. If it wasn't for basketball and softball, I probably would not work nearly as hard in my classes as I have. In this same paragraph, the article says, "Regular physical activity through competitive sports can also help boost a girl’s self-image." This is completely true, especially in our school. Girls who play sports and are involved in athletics are more likely to be known around school and on campus. It kind of gets your name out there and makes your name look good to people who may not really know you.
High school sports can be viewed in two different ways, either you like them or you don't. Many parents make the decision to keep their child out of these activities, mainly because they feel like it's the right thing to do and it will help them out in the long run in their academics. I'm not taking anything away from this group of parents, but before they decide to do that to their child, I think they need to take a look at all of the benefits that could come from their child being involved in a sport and being part of a team. There are so many different lessons and skills to be learned for later on in life, and being involved in a sport and working with a team is one of the easiest ways to learn a lot of these lessons and acquire a lot of these skills needed.
In the third paragraph, the article states, " Additionally, the social interaction gained through sports teaches teens work with a team, solve interpersonal conflicts and communicate in an effective manner with others." By being an athlete you learn many different skills and get better at your sport, but not only that, you are able to learn other skills that don't have to do with your sport as well. Learning to work together with a team, and being able to talk out disagreements with other people is a skill that you will need for the rest of your life. The article also says in paragraph 3, "Playing sports helps teenagers develop a healthy sense of competition within a friendly, team-oriented environment." A little competition in any type of situation is always good. By playing sports, teenagers learn how to be competitive without being overly competitive. Learning how to cope with competition and not always coming out on top is good for someone, and will teach them lessons that they'll have to deal with in any career they pick out for themselves.
During paragraph 4, the article talks about the development of a mental well-being when saying, "Sports participation also encourages teens to handle difficult situations and disappointments with maturity and professionalism." Being able to handle hard situations is a part of life that everyone needs to learn. Life is full of let-downs and disappointments, you just have to know how to handle the situation when it gets put in front of you, and I think being involved in sports and athletics where you are going to fail takes a huge part in learning how to cope with those situations. This same paragraph talks about how, "Improved self-confidence and confidence in the team often results, which can positively affect a wide array of other aspects in a young person’s life." Self-confidence is one of the greatest things anyone can have. It shows up not only when you're performing a task or talking to someone, but also on the outside when just walking around or the way you present yourself. Being self-confident can you help you in so many ways throughout life, and it all could be learned by just being involved in a sport.
Not only do athletics help out a teenager tremendously in the mental and social areas, but health wise as well. As stated in paragraph 2 of the article, "Preventing the negative effects of excess weight is one of the primary benefits of participation in high school athletics." In order to live a healthy life, exercising is a must. By starting out young and being involved in athletics, you can get in the habit of exercising on a daily basis which will more than likely lead on into your adult life where you can continue living healthy. This paragraph also states, "This leads to healthier adult lifestyle habits that reduce the risk for diabetes and heart disease, obesity and other chronic ailments." With this healthy lifestyle leading on into your adult life, it can really help a person out in the long run. By being healthy and exercising every day like they should be, someone can avoid getting a disease or chronic illness.
I know that athletes are the ones who usually do better in school. Stated in paragraph 5, "Aside from the substantial health benefits, girls who participate in sports do better academically, with fewer disciplinary issues and lower drop-out rates than sedentary girls, according to "Healthy You Magazine" online." Us, as girls, know that to be able to play the sport we love, we must keep our grades up and high enough to be eligible to play. This simply means that athletics have a huge impact on our studies and the way we perform in school. If it wasn't for basketball and softball, I probably would not work nearly as hard in my classes as I have. In this same paragraph, the article says, "Regular physical activity through competitive sports can also help boost a girl’s self-image." This is completely true, especially in our school. Girls who play sports and are involved in athletics are more likely to be known around school and on campus. It kind of gets your name out there and makes your name look good to people who may not really know you.
High school sports can be viewed in two different ways, either you like them or you don't. Many parents make the decision to keep their child out of these activities, mainly because they feel like it's the right thing to do and it will help them out in the long run in their academics. I'm not taking anything away from this group of parents, but before they decide to do that to their child, I think they need to take a look at all of the benefits that could come from their child being involved in a sport and being part of a team. There are so many different lessons and skills to be learned for later on in life, and being involved in a sport and working with a team is one of the easiest ways to learn a lot of these lessons and acquire a lot of these skills needed.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Current Connection 2.1
In a recent article entitled "At some schools, 'Big Brother' is watching," some schools are trying to make the decision of whether or whether not it is a good idea for the school's staff and teachers to be able and monitor their students' social network lives. It may not seem like a great idea at first, but once you think about all of the pros and cons of it, the idea does not seem as bad.
There are reasons schools should be able to monitor student's online lives that you may not even think of, one of the being just simply saving a child's life. This article states in paragraph 3, "The school district went with the firm Geo Listening after a pilot program with the company last spring helped a student who was talking on social media about "ending his life." By being able to keep track and monitor kid's lives outside of school, you could potentially save them in the long run. If a child is feeling that depressed then he or she obviously needs someone to talk to and someone to be there for them, but it is not possible to help unless someone knows about the issue. This article also says in paragraph 5, "We were able to save a life," said Richard Sheehan, the Glendale superintendent, adding that two students in the school district had committed suicide the past two years." Without being able to monitor that child's activities online, their life would have probably been taken. With that said, the two students that took their own lives could have possibly been saved if only the teachers and staff from their school were allowed to monitor the activities on their social networks, places online that allow students to share ideas, a way of spreading information or news.
Not only would making this decision allow schools to potentially save students' lives, but also just prevent cyber-bullying as a whole. In paragraph 11 of this article Wayne Blanton states, "the school was aware of on-campus bullying of Sedwick and dealt with it by separating the students and putting them in different classes, but it was not aware of the off-campus bullying -- online -- that was taking place." Schools can usually take care of any bullying that happens on their campuses. Although, they are not always aware of the cyber-bullying that takes place "behind the scenes." This would not be an issue though, if schools could just access a student's online sites and monitor them. Also according to Blanton in paragraph 12, "if parents or students notify a school about suspected bullying off-campus, the school has the authority to look at a student's Facebook posts and e-mails." I do not think schools should have to wait until they are notified of suspected bullying out of school to have access to a student's social media. Suspecting any type of bullying taking place, teachers should be able to access that student's social networks to investigate and find out for sure if there is anything going on.
In our school I know we have some teachers who follow some of our students on social media sites, such as Twitter, sharing information about school events. I really think that that is a great idea. It is an awesome way to watch and keep track of students' thoughts and their feelings. In paragraph 20, this article states "John Palfrey Jr., head of the boarding school Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, said he and his colleagues try to strike a balance between ensuring students' safety and not having them feel "like we are recording their every move." This is a very good point. Being able to monitor your students' online lives is great in the sense that you can protect them, but there is also a line that you cannot cross. Students, especially teenagers, need their space and their own lives without feeling like they're being watched every second of every day. It also says in paragraph 21, "If a student follows him on Twitter, he will follow them back, but on Facebook, teachers don't accept friend requests from students or extend them, and they don't "go hunting around" to see what students are saying on the social networking platform." As long as there is no reason to go "hunting around" and stalking what students are posting on their profiles, I do not think adults should monitor their every move.
There are many reasons why schools should be able to monitor a student's online life. Obvious ones being to protect them from cyber-bullying or even depression and just saving them from themselves. With that being said, if schools do make the decision to allow teachers and the rest of the staff to look at any students' profiles, taking the students' privacy in to consideration, they should not be able to look at anything unless of course there is a reason to look.
Work Cited
Wallace, Kelley. "At some schools, 'Big Brother' is watching." CNN. 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Nov.
2013.
There are reasons schools should be able to monitor student's online lives that you may not even think of, one of the being just simply saving a child's life. This article states in paragraph 3, "The school district went with the firm Geo Listening after a pilot program with the company last spring helped a student who was talking on social media about "ending his life." By being able to keep track and monitor kid's lives outside of school, you could potentially save them in the long run. If a child is feeling that depressed then he or she obviously needs someone to talk to and someone to be there for them, but it is not possible to help unless someone knows about the issue. This article also says in paragraph 5, "We were able to save a life," said Richard Sheehan, the Glendale superintendent, adding that two students in the school district had committed suicide the past two years." Without being able to monitor that child's activities online, their life would have probably been taken. With that said, the two students that took their own lives could have possibly been saved if only the teachers and staff from their school were allowed to monitor the activities on their social networks, places online that allow students to share ideas, a way of spreading information or news.
Not only would making this decision allow schools to potentially save students' lives, but also just prevent cyber-bullying as a whole. In paragraph 11 of this article Wayne Blanton states, "the school was aware of on-campus bullying of Sedwick and dealt with it by separating the students and putting them in different classes, but it was not aware of the off-campus bullying -- online -- that was taking place." Schools can usually take care of any bullying that happens on their campuses. Although, they are not always aware of the cyber-bullying that takes place "behind the scenes." This would not be an issue though, if schools could just access a student's online sites and monitor them. Also according to Blanton in paragraph 12, "if parents or students notify a school about suspected bullying off-campus, the school has the authority to look at a student's Facebook posts and e-mails." I do not think schools should have to wait until they are notified of suspected bullying out of school to have access to a student's social media. Suspecting any type of bullying taking place, teachers should be able to access that student's social networks to investigate and find out for sure if there is anything going on.
In our school I know we have some teachers who follow some of our students on social media sites, such as Twitter, sharing information about school events. I really think that that is a great idea. It is an awesome way to watch and keep track of students' thoughts and their feelings. In paragraph 20, this article states "John Palfrey Jr., head of the boarding school Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, said he and his colleagues try to strike a balance between ensuring students' safety and not having them feel "like we are recording their every move." This is a very good point. Being able to monitor your students' online lives is great in the sense that you can protect them, but there is also a line that you cannot cross. Students, especially teenagers, need their space and their own lives without feeling like they're being watched every second of every day. It also says in paragraph 21, "If a student follows him on Twitter, he will follow them back, but on Facebook, teachers don't accept friend requests from students or extend them, and they don't "go hunting around" to see what students are saying on the social networking platform." As long as there is no reason to go "hunting around" and stalking what students are posting on their profiles, I do not think adults should monitor their every move.
There are many reasons why schools should be able to monitor a student's online life. Obvious ones being to protect them from cyber-bullying or even depression and just saving them from themselves. With that being said, if schools do make the decision to allow teachers and the rest of the staff to look at any students' profiles, taking the students' privacy in to consideration, they should not be able to look at anything unless of course there is a reason to look.
Work Cited
Wallace, Kelley. "At some schools, 'Big Brother' is watching." CNN. 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Nov.
2013.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Current Connection 1.2
In a recent CNN article by Bryan Koenig and Conor Finnegan titled "Malala Confronts Obama," 16-year old Malala Yousafzai confronts president Barack Obama about drone strikes after being shot in her own country, Pakistan, for promoting girl's education.
In paragraph 4 of this article, Malala states, "Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education, the basis of our life, it will make a big impact." She is trying to say and make a point that too many people are being killed by other people in their own country because they are trying to make a difference. Also, if they start to refocus on education then it could possibly change everything.
The article says in paragraph 8 of the CNN article that, "In a statement, the White House saluted Malala’s continuing efforts to promote education for girls." Obama and the rest of the White House staff completely supported Malala's claim and believes that she is right. This brave 16-year old wants to make a huge change to her country, and I think the White House is here to help her with that.
In paragraph 9 of this article it states, "In a proclamation marking Friday as the International Day of the Girl, Obama said, “Across the globe there are girls who will one day lead nations, if only we afford them the chance to choose their own destinies.” President Obama seems like he is willing to support any girl, the most delicate thing on the earth, that wants the chance to be a leader in the country, or anywhere they want. He wants to help out any young woman follow their dreams and follow their heart in whatever they want to do.
If you ask any girl what their dream is or their dream job, it is usually something that most people think will never happen. I see this happen all of the time, even in our own school; there are girls that want to "go big" and do so much with their lives. Some even want to have such an impact and run the country some day. In the last paragraph of the CNN article, this is what President Obama has to say about girls like this, "Every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream.” As long as everyone supports girls like this and allows them to go as far as they can go, the world can be changed by the female race.
You can only go as far as you dream. As long as our country gives us the freedom to dream and allow us to have the chance to go as far as we want to in life, girls can make a huge difference in our world today.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Current Connection 1.1
In a recent article by Greg Toppo in USA Today called, "School is too easy, students report," Toppo informs her readers about the fact that students feel like school isn't challenging for them.
In paragraph 3, a new analysis of federal survey data says that, "37% of fourth-graders say their math work is "often" or "always" too easy;" "57% of eighth-graders say their history work is "often" or "always" too easy;" and "39% of 12th-graders say they rarely write about what they read in class." This sounds like a big problem to me. If kids aren't being challenged in their school work, then they're not learning anything. Being made to think doesn't just help them in school work, but also in life.
Ulrich Boser says in the article, in paragraph 7, "It's fairly safe to say that potentially high-achieving kids are probably not as challenged as they could be or ought to be." In other words, the students that are extra gifted or the "smart kids" are not pushing themselves and taking the advanced classes like they should be.This is why so many kids are saying their school work is way too easy.
In paragraph 6, the article says, "The data suggests that many kids simply aren't pushed academically: only one in five eighth-graders read more than 20 pages a day, either in school or homework. Most report that they read far less." This means that possibly the teachers, the learning experts, aren't pushing their students to read as much as they should be. Which is probably another reason they say school isn't very hard; they're not made to do very much.
This article reminds me of a lot of the small schools, 2A, 3A, and 4A schools, surrounding Batesville, our small, historic town. I have friends from these schools, and they constantly say their school work is always easy. I find it really weird how students at our school are taking the same advanced courses that some of these students from the other schools are; yet our students seem to struggle more often. Possibly because these other schools' courses are not as challenging?
Obviously this issue of students saying school is easy isn't just a problem in our area, it's everywhere. I feel like teachers might need to push students to do more work and students should challenge themselves to take the more challenging courses, instead of settling for the easier ones with less work. That's not going to do anything to help their future unless they're learning to think critically and creating a hard working habit.
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