Are High-schools failing their Students?

Are High-schools failing their Students?

In a recent article on the web, “Are High-schools failing their students” they question does getting a high-school diploma guarantee you’re ready for work or college? Are the teachers at our school preparing us correctly and in all the right areas? They should be.

“Employers expect more, the students must be able to communicate effectively, think critically, analyze and interpret data and evaluate a variety of materials.” I agree with this statement, the educational system that the young adults are learning at, should prepare us to enter the real world. It should have us set to be independent and only count on ourselves. Do they do it? To me, in all honesty, I see them trying. The subjects that we get taught aren’t easy, their about hard as they come. It’s up to the teachers to get into the lesson plan, and get inside our brains, and hold our attention the whole class period to get us educated and informed.

“ According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), at least 28 percent of students entering four-year public colleges in the fall of 2000 were required to take remedial courses when they started, especially in mathematics and language arts, as did 42 percent of those enrolled in two-year public colleges (NCES, 2004).” Does this tell us something? 28% of all students entering college for their four-year degrees have to go to remedial classes when they started. Seems to me as the educators that are suppose to be educating us aren’t doing a very good job at it. We have all heard the teachers say “My job is to teach you all you need too know, and have you college/career ready.” Well, with that being said it doesn’t seem  that they are following that statement very well.

According to some critics, “ETS found that 84% of highly paid professionals had taken algebra 2 or higher level of mathematic courses as where only 30% of low-to-moderately skilled and low-paid workers had done so.” So, with this being said, I guess you could say there is a pretty big difference in ‘College Prep’ and ‘Smart Core’. But for a well-educated, handsome, intelligent, young man, like myself. I think that I will do fine with only taking ‘Smart Core’ I took my full 4 years of mathematics in High-school to get my diploma. Yes, Math is one of my weak spot, BUT that does not mean that I won’t get a good paying job and make something of myself.

My connection I have to this article is really a connection with my school. Our school is a very good school when it comes up education and the way our educators do things. Do I think they could do better? Of course! You can always do better at what you’re doing when you put you’re mind to it. I can connect this to myself, and my school because I’m not taking any math classes this year, I’ve decided to wait and take college algebra whenever I start college, and take a break from mathematics for my senior year. As I said earlier, mathematics isn’t my best subject, in-fact it’s my weakest. I have to keep my head in the game, and stay focused on making good grades to get accepted to college. But our educators do a good job at pushing us by I guess you could say “scaring” us and saying things to make us want to get our head out of our bottoms and DO WORK. All education systems are different because all the teachers who are teaching are different. If you’re a teacher and you don’t absolutely love you’re job….chances are you’re students aren’t going to love that subject you’re teaching them.

As you can see, I have my personal opinions on my educators and how they do their jobs. But just like everyone else in this world, I’m not the only one. You see, it’s all up to you as an educator (teacher) to actually make that student “College and Career ready” when they receive that diploma and step out into the real world. You can either love you’re job and make class fun, not only for you but for you’re students as well…OR you can not love you’re job and just be there because you HAVE to be in order to make money for yourself and the student not love the subject either. In my opinion, If you don’t love being a teacher and you are… GO FIND A NEW JOB. The teachers attitude towards the students have A LOT to do with what kind of grades the students make, and what they’ll learn when they leave the school. 

Why Hold Innocent People Hostage?

   
I don't think that it's right for anyone to be held hostage against their will. Why even do that to innocent people? Some hostages end up losing their lives over it.

According to the article called "Algeria Hostage Crisis"   In Algeria there are some people being held hostage at a local engineering company. Some reports have said " An official says two more Japanese citizens have been confirmed to have died during a hostage crisis last week in Algeria, bringing the total number to nine. One Japanese worker remains missing."

"The victims worked for a Japanese engineering company, JGC Corp., at a natural gas plant in the Sahara desert. Seven other Japanese workers for the company survived the hostage taking" The Japanese that took over the place and took people in Hostage are ones that had worked at the engineering company. Reports say that some of the employees had made it out in time and coming out un-hurt. But some of the others weren't so lucky. 

Another thing I don't understand is how can you work somewhere with people that you've became close to and end up becoming good friends with and then all the sudden take them into hostage, hold them against their will, and some of them being killed? This world is just getting crazier by the second. It's not only in America. The Chief government had this to say "Chief Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that officials found the bodies of the two Japanese among a group of unidentified victims."  Just imagine finding one of your co-workers bodies, or getting a call from the officials being told that your loved one has been killed. How does such a person do a thing? I don't agree nor understand anything that seems to be happening now days. To me it's unbelievable that these kind of things happen. "One Japanese national is still missing. Japan is the foreign country to have suffered the heaviest confirmed loss of life during the Islamist militant attack on a Saharan gas plant." We think that our country, America is the only one doing stupid things and going thru stuff? Look around the world, were not the only one's. Japan has suffered quite a few losses. Don't you ever wonder, what were they thinking before they took their last breath? What was the massacre thinking? Like I said, I will NEVER understand the cruelness that has become so popular in today's world. I hope that people soon to realize what their doing not only in Japan but in America will have an effect on our future's society. 

Looters!

Looters are people are practically called 'theifs'. They go and steal the things whether it's a convenient store or a furniture store. According to the New York Daily News, "People were running in and out of Rent-A-Center carrying these big flat screens." Looters are theifs so I don't see why there is a distinction between looters & theifs. They like to steal things, when its an easy access target to hit. It's not something anyone should be proud of. Also according to the New York Daily News, it says, "Look they've been looting our wallets for too long." People that actually work for what they have, deserve to get the things that LOOTERS (theifs) are taking for free. How do you think the owner of the business feels? He lost all of his inventory by some people who care nothing but about themselves. How would you feel if you owned a store & someone came in and stole or broke everything you had? Hopefully by everything that we've learned about these kind of people, we can STOP them, by showing them the RIGHT way to do things, NOT the wrong.

Climate Change

Our climate here lately has been changing and going bi-polar day to day. In my article, "Climate Change of the US", Scientist John Paul says "The intensities of certain weather events in North America are among the highest in  the world, and the risks associated with them are changing faster ten anywhere else." I agree with this because our weather will be 80 degrees one day, then the day after it will be cold as 50 degrees. Its not good for our natural things such as plants, animals, even us humans weather change like that keeps us sick, kills our plants, and probably keeps the animals sick also. I can make a connection with this Article because the weather affects my body, when the weather gets all bi-polar and decides to change like 30 degrees I get sick! So does everyone else, us people are just getting teased by the crazyiness of the weather. His purpose is to let us people of the U.S know that our weather will continue to change, and soon make something else bad happen, our climate change is the first of finding in the data from natural catastrophes. 

URL:http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/10/weather-disaesters-climate-change-munich-re-report/1522845

Arkansas Healthcare's Time for a Change!

         Our Arkansas governor, Mike Beebe is wanting to change our healthcare so that less-fortunate, lower class people can still live the life that they want to without stressing about Medicaid, & how their going to pay their insurance. In the article 'Arkansas gov. changes course on health care' According to Mike Beebe he says that he's going to pass a law saying "If an adult that is an individual without children makes $15,400 will qualify for Medicaid, or a family's yearly income is $30,650 they will also qualify."
       We all know that Arkansas is a poor state, we just don't want to admit it. I agree with Governor Mike Beebe because I believe in helping those less-fortunate than me, I want to help out anyway I can. With him passing this law, think of everyone who will be stress-free? Think of those that will KNOW they will be seen by a Doctor, or whatever the case may be & wont go in Debt for it. We all know medical bills are VERY expensive. Those upper-class people, or "rich" people need to stop being so selfish & help those below them every way they can. Were ALL humans, we should ALL help each other if possible. I agree with EVERYTHING Gov. Mike Beebe is trying to do, I can relate this to myself, the whole world, everyone. I'm sure that if this law got passed, several people in Arkansas would do a WHOLE lot better financially. The author of this article proves his point, and gets his idea out. I think everyone would agree with this law except for those one people who don't like to give our their money. They want to be stingy, and selfish.

URL:http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wirestay/arkansas-government-health-care-17321867

Copyright War Apple VS Samsung

In present day, we all know that copyright of any kind is against the law. If it is done with permission from the owner then it is NOT illegal. In the article 'Apple patent win spells changes' According to Apple, the producer of Iphones, Ipods, Ipads, and many more high-tech devices is sewing Samsung. Samsung is also another producer of high-tech phones & tablets. Samsung apparently is stealing Apples ideas, for an example, on a Iphone you can zoom in on a picture by tapping the screen. Well, Samsung has done the same thing. Apples considering this 'copying'. Which is illegal because it was Apples idea, not Samsung's. Apple is going to be rewarded $1.05billion after finding out Samsung violated six patents, Apple says "it will make rivals think twice about smartphones and tablets that too closely resemble our products." If Samsung smart phones are banned, the company will be forced to change features such as the pinch and zoom technology, which Apple claims to be theirs. The author's main idea for this article is to let us know that there are ALOT of different copyright laws & you can get in serious trouble if you do copyright.

URL:http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2012/aug/28/apple-patent-win-spells-changes-20120828/?business

The Rebuilding Of The WTC

For the concrete that was used to build the World Trade Center, it would take 6 times as much as it was used to build the EIffel Tower. State-Of-The-Art concrete was used in 1 World Trade Center can withstand almost three times more pressure than the concrete used in most other NYC skyscrappers. So, the concrete that they used to build, well re-build the WTC, the concrete must have been thicker or something in that area, maybe tougher because it says that it was 6 times as much used to build the Eiffel Tower. Also the concrete can withstand almost three times more pressure than the concrete used in other NYC skyscrappers, meaning the new WTC is probably built in a better & stronger condition. Therefor, it wil be a better building, and last longer. They have prepared the building for something that may happen again in the future.