The Trouble With School

Problem

        I'll start off by apologizing for being late on this post, but with school and all the homework I've been getting from my classes my mind has been focusing more on the five traits of a civilization or how to explain rhetoric rather than posting a blog. For those who read my last post and got the "preview" of a surprise, well education was my surprise mainly because, as I stated before, I've recently begun my schooling once more in my junior year of high school. In any case, I felt that this was the best time for a blog about the education system of America.
       My charter school is a very small school and even though behind other high schools in my area I feel as though, for the most part, our education is of much higher quality and we retain it more; this being based on the fact that the other teenagers from the other high schools barely know what a pencil is let alone who to graph the function f(x)=2x in a transition form let alone the normal form or even how to spell 'specific'. The reason why is because my school is a charter school and has the ability to fire teachers whereas the other schools are public schools ruled by the "union fascists". Which brings me to my point about the main problems within the school system: 1) the teacher's unions 2) outdated curriculum 3) lack of motivation and reason.

Unions

      The unions (specifically the teacher's unions) are a great power of the day, but they no longer have any purpose other than obstructing the learning of students and sucking money out of everything they touch. the key to getting rid of them is not to make more laws against them or regulating them because we have far too much of that anyway, but rather giving incentives to teachers to not join the union. I'm not going to act like I know what those incentives or how to enact them because I, unfortunately, am sixteen and sadly not equipped to do such things; however, there could be higher raises, benefits, etc. that could disband the unions for good. The key to defeating a great power is to "divide and conquer" (so to speak) if you divide the people of the union than the union will crumble much like during the American Civil War would've been had the north not won and reunited the south with them. Of course, even though this is a grand problem, it is nearly impossible for any political or otherwise to even discuss the unions otherwise the likelihood they'd get elected is lowered significantly (such is the strength of such a union). Now, I realize the unions had a purpose in getting teachers better pay and working conditions back in the days of yore, but that is not now. They have served their purpose and it's time for them to step aside.

Curriculum

        Over the summer, for my AP Language and Composition class, I had to read an acclaimed book called  The Grapes of Wrath which I could discuss my views on at another junction. The book, for one thing is outdated in the way that whaling (in most countries) is outdated. I found the material boring and most of the kids in my class not only struggled with the language as I did, but also felt unconnected with the characters. Why can our schools not teach something more modern? Why must we read Hemingway, and Shakespeare when the wording is so difficult to understand that we barely understand it? I realize that a few can be considered classics, but why not pick one of the modern spins or versions of the book? The general idea remains the same and you can discuss the other subtleties in class, besides there are nearly a million versions from all of the world of a Shakespeare story or two so it cannot be that hard to find others similar to the various assorted classics as well.
         It's not just books either, but it's also with history. In American history we learn and relearn about the Great Depression, why not more thoroughly go through other moments in history? Also, on another note, most of the history taught is tainted with little hints about how America is evil and made all these huge mistakes and blah, blah, blah. I don't think any other country, but America actually has teachers teach children their country sucks, so why do we? Why can't we teach children all the good America has done like in the Middle East, in World War I & II? Why can't we teach children the real reasons for the Revolutionary War or perhaps the real story of the Indians (Native Americans/Amerindians whatever you want to call them.)?
       The outdated, aged, and horrifically biased curriculum makes the learning less quality and more quantity. It has become "How much can we stuff into this one year?" Instead we should have longer school days with longer classes so the quality becomes better and we should also choose more connectable and modern texts from which to study so the students (like me) can actually get the most from the reading.

Lack of Motivation and Reason

        I spoke about laziness in my last blog post and the lethargy of this laziness has even begun to spread into school. Not too long ago, school (in America) was a place where one could raise their status and live the American dream of giving your children something better than you had to grow up with. School was a place where students wanted to go an get an education (a great book to show this is The Outsiders) or could go to change their lives unless they chose otherwise. Students nowadays, however, think of school differently. They think of school as something to sit through, something that will get them nowhere in life, something that has unnecessary classes they don't know why they have to learn.
       This lack of motivation stemmed from the laziness of teachers teaching children the importance of things, it stems from a lack of showing them real-world applications. Why should we learn how to graph f(x)=2x or why should we learn how to spell 'specific'? There is no one there in the school, even mine, that tells you how you'll need these things in real life and there is no one telling you that you don't know what you're going to do in life and that you shouldn't plan on being a veterinarian when you could go on to be an engineer or a manager at a McDonald's. There's no one there to give any teenager or child perspective in real life because, as I believe I stated previously in a post, parents have become lazy and no longer teach their children these things. Without a reason behind the madness and without anyone giving these kids motivation for the lives they want or should earn the school system collapses because the people it's there for don't want to be in school or (in their eyes) have no reason to go to school. Without all three of these things being fixed: unions, curriculum, and motivation; our children will continue to get stupider and stupider and our society will continue to fall, fall, fall.

 

        

Get Responsible!

The Laziness Epidemic

       So recently I haven't been posting, however I will tell everyone that I've decided to post at the end of every month, or at least within the last two weeks of every month. In any case the main point of this month's post is to discuss my views on what I believe to be an important and often unseen social issue; laziness. Now to clarify on what I mean by laziness I'm not talking about sitting on the couch and doing nothing laziness-though that is a serious problem now as well-I'm referring to the laziness seen in public. Most notably the parents that allow their children to run around willy-nilly and scream their heads of in stores.

It Doesn't take a Village

      Now the most prominent laziness in America now besides the laziness that causes obesity is the complete lack of parenting that has all of a sudden occurred in our society. Even though I'm a teenager I am still effected by bad parenting, not because my parents are bad parents (compared to most I think they're actually pretty darn good) but because I shop in the stores of these irresponsible people, I swim in the lane next to the children raised by them, and I deal with the brother of my friend who might as well be her siblings'  mother.
      To start of with I don't believe in the idea that it "takes a village" to raise a child; it just doesn't and if it did than all of the adults would not only have made sure the child was safe, but if the child did something they'd also have the ability to punish the child for doing so. Of course, now a days that's not how people do the "village" concept instead they allow their children to break toys in the store and when someone does tell them that's wrong they just yell at the person who says that as though their the ones who broke the toy. Now I could rave on about this subject for a very long, long time, but there are other subjects I wish to discuss so all I'm going to say on the parenting subject is simply: Take Responsibility For Your Children! If they break a toy make them apologize, if their screaming in the middle of the store drag them out and for the sake of society don't negotiate with your two-year old! They don't understand the words you're saying, just tell them no and leave it at that!

Layin' on the Couch

      So I guess I told a bit of a lie at the beginning of this post about the couch-potato laziness, but I think it's important and I think it should be discussed or mentioned. Lately I've been seeing a lot of commercials for diet pills, diet meals, and then there was that whole controversy about the newest FDA diet pill that has a lot of major side effects like seizures, birth defects, etc. What people are searching for with these things is an easy answer, the easy way of doing things and believe me I know, I struggle with weight myself. I know that it's a lot easier to blame fast food rather than myself I know that it's really hard to not blame sugar for my problems or some disease like diabetes or a thyroid problem for my weight. However, there is no easy solution except for one thing: movement.
      Creating laws to tax sugary foods isn't the solution, banning sodas and Slurpees is not the answer, the answer is motivating people to realize their overweight and giving them incentives to move. I'm not sure how to do those things, but I know that laws aren't the way to solve the obesity problem it only limits freedom and gives government more power than is needed over individual lives. My only advice or words of wisdom on the subject is are: Get off your ass and have no excuses!

The Ideas of Justice

      I live in Colorado and for a long time I lived in Littleton, the area where the infamous Columbine shooting happened and as many know there was yet another tragic shooting within the state in Aurora. After the shooting happened many people were bringing up issues like gun control and banning masks in movie theaters as well, I'm sure, other issues that I have yet to hear about.
      For many people the idea that a law to further limiting gun use is the solution to the problem and personally I think that's the lazy or the "feel good response". It's a way to put blame on an object rather than an actual person and it's the same with the mask law. This person chose to go and murder defenseless people, this person chose to do horrible, horrible things it isn't the gun's fault for what a person chooses to do with it and it isn't the mask's fault either. Putting more laws into place won't solve the issue it might postpone it for a time like a plaster seal over a hole in a dam, but unless you put cement over it the hole's not gonna get fixed. 
      Personally, I believe that people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons in public areas because had someone been allowed to carry guns at Columbine or at the Century movie theater it's doubtful those tragedies would have happened. The people who do these things target these places because they know there are defenseless, powerless people at these places that's why no one attacks places that they know have guns. These people want to feel the power and pleasure of having absolute power over things weaker than themselves, but if they knew there was a good chance they could get hurt or die because someone has a gun they wouldn't kill people like this. 
      It is, in my opinion, a sheer lack of wanting to take action and responsibility that causes these problems. Had my grandparents made my father take responsibility for his actions I doubt he would've beat my brother and myself. So my final piece of advice or whatever you want to call it is: Make A Decision! Don't walk the fence and don't feel bad for taking charge and setting a boundary of what's right and what's wrong. I can't say it'll make the problem of serial killings and molestation go away, but making someone take responsibility for their actions could go a long way in preventing things like this from ever happening again. Don't be lazy when it comes to things like this, don't make excuses, deal with it. As my "preview" for next month the next subject I will post about is a SURPRISE (gotta keep things interesting you know).       


  
      
   

  

Introduction

The Reasons, the Meaning, the Inspiration

The Reasons

     This is my first blog post and as such I believe it is not only polite, but necessary to share my reasons for blogging about the topics I will be blogging about. I'm interested in politics and the day to day issues I see, hear, and find in life so these will be the things I will be posting about. I'd like to say right from the start that I am very patriotic I've been raised that way and I've come to truly love my great country, America, and because of that love I find it of the utmost importance to convey those feelings whether or not they matter to anyone else is irrelevant. Because I love America and because I feel there are issues that aren't fully discussed despite the fact they are important not only to me but to all Americans.

The Meaning

      From the above it is very obvious that in blogging I intend to make others aware of very important problems for Americans such as the economy, current laws being discussed and put into place, and other issues more along the lines of home and family. I wish and hope that by reading this people will be spurred into the same patriotic fever that I unknowingly caught just a short while ago. My meaning is in attempting to get Americans to fall in love with their great land again because from the things I've heard from my generation with fallen more into a deep question mark regarding the wonderful U.S. of A. 

The Inspiration

      There are really three things that inspired this blog and the first refers to the "patriotic fever" I mentioned earlier and what I said about my generation. I'm a teenager, pure and simple. Ever since I was little I'd been raised with the belief that America is the greatest country in the world even from my racist "other family" as I call them because I no longer live with them, but my mother instead. Shockingly my other family isn't racist against the colored people of the world, but against whites which most find very funny for reasons I'll discuss at another time. 
      In any event my first inspiration came from my school when in a conversation I said something along the lines of "Well that's because America is the greatest country in the in the world." My very strange friend I'll call Mary disagreed with me which spurred on an argument about the world's countries and if America really was. Eventually another enigma of a friend of mine I'll call Jamie got involved and mentioned Sweden as a fairly good country. I then argue about their debt, but my two friends went unconvinced. After a couple weeks of inner venting I then discuss the issue with my best friend named Cat who is deeply religious and as right winged as I am, however when I asked if she thought America was greatest her response was "No I don't think so," which shocked me to my core. How can people believe that? I wondered.
      So the shock of my best friend's response sent me into a frenzy of questioning, research, and just plain anger. However I probably had the patriotic fever festering inside me for long before that. My grandfather a strong, funny, decorated Vietnam veteran is a staunch Republican, has voted Republican every time except with Obama only because he wasn't white (he told me this himself). He taught me all the great things about America despite the fact he was against the Vietnam War and surprisingly had some odd values usually associated with Democrats and hippies. He is the one person that taught me the importance of America and the one who raised me to believe she is the greatest country in the world.
     My final inspiration comes from my Independent mother and Republican stepfather who raised me for the last four years after moving in with them when I was twelve. My father is also an atheist and because of that taught me to think critically, logically, and also taught me more common sense things like how to get a job and do well on interviews. My mother has an uncanny ability to analyze and read people that I believe comes from the amount she reads and just natural born talent even though she never brags about it. Both of them raised me to understand government just through basic common sense and raised me just like my grandfather; to believe America is great.
      I believe that through my explanations I have informed everyone of not only my biases, but also convinced some people to fight for America. I hope that everyone will also continue reading on and feel free to comment on my posts. To further inform those reading I will be posting about what I believe to be the biggest problem in American society today: Laziness.