Song of the Week #6

Hey Guys, welcome to week 6 of songs. Today's/this week's song is a lovely pop ballad by a young artist named Haley Reinhart. I have heard this circulating around song for a while and thought I should be part of the commotion. The song "Undone" is a refreshing break from what modern pop is seen as. This song speaks to the heart and the mind along with all the insecurities we have as humans.

Friendship-- An Original Poem

Friendship

If two do not know a friend

What’s friendship?

Absurdity to know

Angering to hear

To see one run

To see one hide

To see one cry

To never know a friend

Friendship will not find you

You will find a friend 

There’s a need for

Friendship  

Education Essay

This is another oldie from 8th grade. It is on the topic of education and how our nations education system works. I have written numerous papers about this topic but this is the first of my files. Without further adieu:

"Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each." (Plato --BC 427-BC 347-- Greek philosopher.) Plato clearly knew how schools should be organized in order for the greatest success rate. Our schools and teachers are now paying no mind to the joy and uniqueness of the students they have in of their classes. Everything is assessed and/ or graded to the teachers, state government, and federal government's expectations. Today's classrooms are no longer grading and assessing students across the country, in the way suggested by Plato. Today schools seem to be assessing students to defined standards, caring only about grades, and dismissing the idea of fun. Schools are blind to the fun of learning and are focusing on grades more than ever. Every assessment a child is given demonstrates nothing of how bright they are. Students now more than ever need to be seen as more than a grade. In order for schools and students to be victorious schools need to make a change in the way they teach students.

            You have just handed in a test and a week later you get it back, at the top you see C+. The teacher does not know how much effort you put or all the time you spent studying. This is the way that students are being graded, by state and national standards. This is the same with every test, essay, and especially group project. Schools should pay more attention to participation, effort, and involvement in the classroom, and less to any assignment. Many students try very hard but just aren't good test takers. That alone lowers their grade, even though they try so hard. Teachers should look for understanding more than any grade because that will show how productive students are.

            Everyone wants to get a good grade, but is it really that easy? Grades are things that define students and are used to judge them for the rest of their lives. How could such stereotypical and unfair things be so important? Students are overwhelmed by all the grades they need to earn, between homework, tests, and projects. How can they make the grade? As students get more stressed grades go down. Districts need to tell teachers to give fewer assignments. The teachers should talk to each other about their tests, quizzes, projects, and other assignments. By simply planning out these things students would be able to do more and keep up the good grades.

            In school you sit in a desk for six hours every day, week by week, month by month, until a day off. Wondering how they make it, students no longer have a recess or cardio, let alone enough time for gym. It has been proven that if you amuse students it will make it easier for them to learn. To help teachers could make up game shows, have contests, and relate topics to everyday life. To just do activities, go outside, or even have funny limericks to help memorize information would make students a bit more enthusiastic about school. Students are given facts to memorize, then to be quizzed on but, small steps towards a change in education will make all the difference.

            When put into perspective, it is understandable that education needs to make a change. Having schools assessing students to what is known and nothing else, making grades incredibly important, and not recognizing how much fun school could be. These things are easy to do. Once in my science class we used to sing to help memorize information. It went to the tune of other popular songs, and was a lot of fun. If education wants to move along with technology it better catch up. We need to make a change in grades and assessments so we stay in touch with the rest of the world. We'd make these changes so everyone is educated properly and is ready for the real world. Without the precise way of teaching that we need, schools and students will not prosper to be the "genius of each," (Plato).  

Now that I'm finishing highschool and have 4 more years of experience with the education system some of my opinions have changed. But those won't be revealed until the future...

College Essay

This was my first attempt at a college essay. It is not the one I used to apply to any schools.

College Essay: Personal Statement

I am a flawed person. In my life I have found so many errors in my method of thinking. I am not the type of person to deny this. I am not close to perfection, but I am on the road, on a trip that’s end is indefinite. This journey started in a train crash sixteen years ago, but I knew my ride could only get better. I have the tendency to forget big things but remember small details. I have the skill to take control of group activities but often choose to be passive when confronted. Yet every minute I discover something different that can lead me to my future. I have learned that I am inclined to encourage optimism in the people around me, even on my worst days. I understand now that just because you can do something, does not mean you should, and have based many decisions off this rule. I have realized that the world is not a perfect place and that in order to succeed, it’s necessary to be determined and work hard. Facing my weaknesses has only led me to improvement. I have grown as a person from all the problems I have dealt with or even caused. I know now that sometimes it’s better to ask, rather than assume. I know I can be a leader without taking control. Instead I will motivate the people I work with and only insert my opinion when necessary. Through all I’ve learned about myself, I have engraved in my head a picture of perfection, my own image of success. The key element in my image of success is furthering my education, in order to pursue a career I am thoroughly interested in. Attending your educational institution would be the next step in achieving my goals. I will continue to admit my weaknesses in order to turn them into strengths and I see college as my opportunity to continue to paint the picture of perfection that I strive for.I know that the knowledge college provides will advance my journey and as I progress through this broken highway they call life, I know I have to face what’s in front of me and not regret the past. I am on a one-way road to self-discovery and there’s no turning back.