I disagree with the proposal made by school boards around the country. The school board wants to change the curriculum of AP U.S. History by changing the facts that are being taught in schools. It is felt as though the U.S. was made out to be an aggressive society that started out religious bigotry, racial inequality and discrimination against women's rights. Schools feel as though these facts are not needed to be taught and feel as though citizenship, patriotism and other positive ideas about the United States would help students think more critically on essays and tests. In retaliation, Colorado students decided to protest against these proposed changes and claimed that such changes are "unbiased" and "against basic constitutional rights."
for most kids, school is a place where they find themselves and discover their true passions for the future. By changing the curriculum, more students lose the able to free think about issues that occurred in the past history of the United States and be limited to just factual information the U.S. wants students to learn. In a way this can be considered manipulation because the U.S. wants people to know what the government wants them to know, and not allow people to truly think and imagine what life was like.
During the protests, students chanted "my school, my voice," to voice their oppinion about the way they want to earn their education. They want to take U.S. history to stay the same, and feel like changing the curriculum will make students lose interest in some aspects of history.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Neshaminy Student Newspaper Protest http://articles.philly.com/2013-12-25/news/45541924_1_playwickian-student-editors-student-newspaper
Based on this article, I felt like the Neshaminy newspaper escalated the situation too far instead of agreeing to take out one single word. In the NFL, the debate came up about the NFL football team, the Washington Redskins, changing their trademark name that would be more appropriate towards the Native Americans. Many Native Americans view "Redskin" as an offensive word, but the name has been in existence for over 30 years. In the Neshaminy case, like the NFL team, is facing a possible court charge after declining to leave out the word "redskin" from the local newspaper. It's a simple fix in my opinion, but I still feel like the Neshaminy High School did not justify their actions by putting the word in the newspaper. In a way by putting it in the newspaper, its violating basic humans rights towards Native Americans, and could be considered equal to coercing someone. By adding in the word, you are basically saying something very egregious to the Native American population, and the Native Americans would have no way to protect their reputation when the word is thrown out for the world to see.
According to officials close to the Neshaminy case declared, "The students will proceed in accordance with their published policy and, if disciplined for doing so, will take action to defend their rights" (Levine Sullivan Koch &Shultz, 1). According to our constitution, the freedom of speech is granted in writing as well. The rights of the journalists writing the article shouldn't be be punished for exercising their right to free speech for one word. By pursuing what they believe, the journalists should not be sued but should erase the word out of the original context.
According to officials close to the Neshaminy case declared, "The students will proceed in accordance with their published policy and, if disciplined for doing so, will take action to defend their rights" (Levine Sullivan Koch &Shultz, 1). According to our constitution, the freedom of speech is granted in writing as well. The rights of the journalists writing the article shouldn't be be punished for exercising their right to free speech for one word. By pursuing what they believe, the journalists should not be sued but should erase the word out of the original context.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Devon Still and his Ailing Daughter
Last week, Devon Still found out that his daughter became seriously ill after it was discovered that she had a cancerous tumor in her brain. He was completely heartbroken that he was given this devastating news, but he decided to stay positive and not allow his child to see the emotions he was truly fighting. He is a warrior, and by going on the field to play each week, he is sending a message to everyone that cancer will no beat his daughter Leah.
As a response to this devastating news, fans bought over 10,000 Devon Still jerseys this past week which in part raised over $100,000 since each jersey sold for $100. The Bengals as a franchise also donated $1,000,000 to the CincinnatiChildren's Hospital Medical Center, to help children battling cancer. This small act by the fans and the NFL franchise makes an impact on the lives of those faced with cancer.
Free Post 2 Derek Jeter http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2211989-where-does-derek-jeters-hall-of-fame-career-stand-among-his-peers
As the season withers away, Major League baseball remembers one of the true faces of the sport in Derek Jeter. After announcing retirement in February, Jeter played his last ever game with the franchise he called home. For 25 years Jeterwith the New York Yankees, and stuck with the team no matter the standings. Some years were horrible for the Yankees and other years were truly remarkable with winning the World Series as an added incentive. The most recent World Series for Jeter came in 2009, but his career, Jeter managed to win a total of 5 World Series.
No doubt Jeter is a Hall of Famer and he even has the stats to back up a possible ballot in the next few years. Jeter ends his career with a .309 batting average, which is considered near the top of the Hall of Fame batting category. Shortstop has always been known to be the least productive position on the baseball diamond but is now considered false since Jeter is among a few players that made it into the 3,000 hit club. He is now the 28th player to ever get 3,000 hits in a career. This feat is incredible considering that he is now in the club with Pete Rose, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Ricky Henderson and Roberto Clemente just to name a few. These players have revolutionized the sport of baseball with their handwork, dedication and passion for the game.
Off the field, Jeter was known as a humble man, who just wanted to be normal like everyone else and put fame aside. He currently contributes to 4 charities that include StandUp2Cancer, Soles4Souls, Turn 2 Foundation, and Entertainment Industry. In 2009, Jeter received an honorary Doctorate for his charity work from the Liberal Arts College. According to the vice president of the school, "Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation encourages our youth to remain in school and to stay healthy." There is no doubt that Jeter has made a positive impact outside of baseball, and donating is just one small part of the overall work he has done for the community.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Chris Herron
Chris Herron
Chris Herron was a man who made
many mistakes in his life. His drug addiction inspired others to not take drugs
and follow their own path to success. I felt that Chris Herron’s speech struck
close to home and makes me realized that drugs can be found everywhere. He
started his alcohol addiction back in freshman year of high school, which led
to a cocaine problem in college. He also tried numerous other drugs as well.
His stories horrified me when I read. He described Acid as the devil that
causes organs to burn inside. His friends took their lives while on Acid and
that is when Herron decided to stop Drugs for the time being.
After hearing his story, I was emotional attached to Chris Herron and his fight against drug addiction. His addiction controlled his life and crushed any dreams he ever wanted. He gave up basketball for his drug addiction and never made any attempt to fix his problem. He relied on the help of other people to assist his drug addiction, instead of looking into the mirror and questioning himself for the stupid, lifechanging decisions he made to his life. I thought that his presentation helped others realize the severity of drugs and made them understand that drugs aren't simply a one time thing. He relied on drugs to solve his problems in school, at home, and on the basketball court. After deciphering his body language, I realized that Chris was not a trail blazer, he didn't mark his own path on the choices he made, and relied on peer pressure to make the decisions for him. He didn't care what consequences came with the peer pressure, as long as he felt included, he was ok on the actions he committed.
I can personal connect to his story. I currently have a friend who is battling an addiction with Acid. He and his brother were projected to get drafted into the MLB right out of high school, and established themselves as a clear cut favorite first rounder in the next few years. But one brother's decision to take acid cost him his chance of getting drafted because nobody would tolerate that kind of behavior.
After hearing his story, I was emotional attached to Chris Herron and his fight against drug addiction. His addiction controlled his life and crushed any dreams he ever wanted. He gave up basketball for his drug addiction and never made any attempt to fix his problem. He relied on the help of other people to assist his drug addiction, instead of looking into the mirror and questioning himself for the stupid, lifechanging decisions he made to his life. I thought that his presentation helped others realize the severity of drugs and made them understand that drugs aren't simply a one time thing. He relied on drugs to solve his problems in school, at home, and on the basketball court. After deciphering his body language, I realized that Chris was not a trail blazer, he didn't mark his own path on the choices he made, and relied on peer pressure to make the decisions for him. He didn't care what consequences came with the peer pressure, as long as he felt included, he was ok on the actions he committed.
I can personal connect to his story. I currently have a friend who is battling an addiction with Acid. He and his brother were projected to get drafted into the MLB right out of high school, and established themselves as a clear cut favorite first rounder in the next few years. But one brother's decision to take acid cost him his chance of getting drafted because nobody would tolerate that kind of behavior.
Political Prejudice http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20140923_Political_party_prejudice_on_upswing_in_U_S_.html
My first reaction after reading this article is ashamed. I feel ashamed because society is so quick to judge people, with so little knowledge of what that person brings to table. It's a disgrace that human beings put other humans down just for an improved self esteem. In relation to this article, Republicans and Democrats often feud over how the United States should be ran but over the years, its not fighting over the direction of the U.S., its the way of life. Politics over the years have been blown out of proportion and the views of politics aren't always on political relations, it's on internal relations as well. In other words, Republicans and Democrats are now worried about the future of their family because they fear their child would grow interested in the competition and marry the person from the opposite political party.
I also didn't like the part of the article that compared whites against African Americans. The author stated that, "Many white people quickly associate joy with the upper left corner when it says white and good - but have a harder time associating joy with the left corner when the words there are black and good. So too, many white people quickly associate terrible with the left corner when it says black and bad, but go a lot more slowly when the left corner says white and bad." (Sunstein 1). The author views the same for Republicans. When Republicans marry other republicans, their social status is safe for a sense, because they are sticking to the norm and not standing out. Same goes for a Democrat. When a Democrat marries a democrat, they are ok but as soon as a democrat marries a republican, it is automatically deemed. Acording to a survey taken in 2010, 49 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of Democrats say they would feel "displeased"
Class of 20? Most Freshman Need More than Four Years
After reading this article, I was surprised that only 1/3 of the students that go to public universities actually get to graduate after enrolling in 4 years of college. One thing that stands out immediately is the education curriculum is simply not challenging or too challenging to pass a class. I'm not saying that Universities should change classes, but at least take statistics on classes that are giving kids a lower grade percentage.
Another thing to consider is the difference between going to college for 4 years or 6 years. The major difference to going to college for 6 years is getting a better profession job right after college. It allows you to pursue a Master's degree, which is honored and rewarded by many jobs such as teaching. The only problem is a cost. An average public university out of state is on average about $30,000 plus a year and if you decide to attend college for the 6 years it is a hefty pay check. Considering it will leave you with over $180,000 in student loans. If you go to a university in state, the cost goes way down. On average the yearly tuition is about $15,000 a year, and for 6 years it is $90,000 per year.
In New Jersey, statistics show the yearly drop off in those who graduate in 4 years compared to those who graduate in 6 years. At Rowan University, there was a 15 percent increase in graduation rate when students attended college for 6 years. I'm shocked by this number because if the NCAA is considering raising graduation to 6 years. If they ever want to change the limit, then the universities and private colleges consider the annual tuition rate. The prices are way too high, and can't be afforded by the working middle class.
Another thing to consider is the difference between going to college for 4 years or 6 years. The major difference to going to college for 6 years is getting a better profession job right after college. It allows you to pursue a Master's degree, which is honored and rewarded by many jobs such as teaching. The only problem is a cost. An average public university out of state is on average about $30,000 plus a year and if you decide to attend college for the 6 years it is a hefty pay check. Considering it will leave you with over $180,000 in student loans. If you go to a university in state, the cost goes way down. On average the yearly tuition is about $15,000 a year, and for 6 years it is $90,000 per year.
In New Jersey, statistics show the yearly drop off in those who graduate in 4 years compared to those who graduate in 6 years. At Rowan University, there was a 15 percent increase in graduation rate when students attended college for 6 years. I'm shocked by this number because if the NCAA is considering raising graduation to 6 years. If they ever want to change the limit, then the universities and private colleges consider the annual tuition rate. The prices are way too high, and can't be afforded by the working middle class.
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