The Art of Memory (PB)

   According to Wikipedia, memory is "simply described as the process in which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. Encoding allows information from the outside world to reach the five senses in the forms of chemical and physical stimuli." Ever since I was a little kid, I have always wondered how I could remember falling out of my crib when I was one but never what I had done that same day the year before. I can remember some dreams and not the others. How do you chose what to remember and what to forget? Memory is a weird concept.
   In remembering events, you always tend to remember the bad times and forget the good. You remember the day that 9/11 happened and where you were when you heard the news (I don't because I was 4), but you don't remember the apple picking that you enjoyed once as a kid with your family. You remember the features of the doctor that told you that your dog died and the expression on his face, but the facial features of passed relatives tend to fade. Good memories always seem to slip the mind but bad ones always tend to stick. 
   Memory is also a unique tool to me because everyone has their own way of working theirs. I tend to lose thoughts quickly while others see something once and have it etched into their mind forever. Even kids who obtain autism generally have an amazing retention of information. This uniqueness relates to even the simple terms of studying. One student may read over the chapter and their notes once and remember almost everything they need to know while others need to continuously write something or walk around or listen to a certain type of music to absorb the information they want. 
   There are even false memories. These are actually very common. This is when an individual can recall an event that actually didn't happen in reality. This can affect someone from just giving them an incorrect recollection to creating a completely false memory. This usually occurs in sexual abuse cases and PTSD victims and is often found to be a common mental illness.
   Memory is such a unique tool and it truly amazes me how far we've come in discovering the wonders of memories and how much more there is to learn.

Violence STILL isn't the answer (SSR)

   Recently in Baltimore, violence has erupted. The streets are being taken over, stores are being broken into and vandalized, cars are being smashed; it's pure chaos. In an article written by the New York Times, they tell of the various occurrences of the violent protests and the differing opinions of all of it. Many people believe that violence is the only way to get things done and I STRONGLY disagree with that. Violence is only going to make the situation worse and give the other opponent a good reason to be violent back. That is like punching someone in the face and expecting them not to hit you back. More likely than not you're going to soon receive that punch in return. Two wrongs most definitely don't make a right but the police can't just sit here and let the violence occur.
   Martin Luther King made a great example of nonviolent protests and he accomplished equal rights for all races and even has his own holiday! Nothing productive will come out of smashing a bystander's car except that this type of stupidity will be put in jail and off of the streets. Violent protests to me have always only been a reason to hit something. It accomplishes nothing and even more than that, it defeats the whole purpose of protesting in the first place. There are not going to be any advances in society for the people breaking store windows and stealing things because they feel that they are being treated unfairly because of their race.
   What especially is off about the whole riot is that the rioters believe that they are mourning the death of Freddy Gray and avenging him by vandalizing and setting stores on fire. This in no way will create the positive outcome or advancement that they expect. People are abused every day in police custody maybe even to a ridiculous extent but the only time you hear of it is when it's a white officer and a black victim because they think that this specifically was based on racism. There have been cases where black police officers have injured white victims but have you ever heard of a riot because of this? And who I feel the worst for are the African Americans who have nothing to do with this and are receiving the consequences of the others' actions. If anyone is promoting the wall between the white population and the African Americans, its the protestors themselves.

But is it Really THAT Big of a Deal?

   Recently in the news, Ted Cruz, future presidential candidate, commented in an article written by CNN on a recently published article by The New York Times. The Times said that he was against gay marriage and mentioned that he only said he would accept if his daughters were gay because of the interests of the audience around him. In the CNN article, Cruz stands by his word of not being for gay marriage and denies the allegations of "shaping his views to suit the audience's." He says how it "speaks volumes" that The New York Times thinks that people with different views meeting up is "newsworthy" and that people are always going to have different opinions but he isn't going to change his to make others happy.

   I myself am not against gay marriage. I don't see the issue in two people who are in love wanting to be committed to each other for the rest of their lives, but I don't disrespect those with different opinions and I don't see why everyone has to make such a big deal out of little things. 

   All you see in the news anymore is that Bruce Jenner is changing genders, your favorite soap opera couple is getting a divorce, President Obama used a swear word. Everyone makes such a big deal out of little things that happen every day but since these people are "celebrities", they can't being anything but perfect without being written about. And the sad thing is, if they do tend to act good in public, they usually lose popularity because of it. It seems like to be noticed now a days, you have to be a so-called "sinner". Why is that?

   What we find interesting now a days is the drama that fills the lives of our most beloved celebrities or political figures, but what about them? I get that they know what they are walking into when they decide to become more famous than before but they don't deserve to be trashed every time they take a step outside their house. They just want to show their talent or practice the profession that they love and in return they get punished. To be heard you have to be noticed and to be noticed now a days you have to be interesting and you don't find those type of people too often anymore that are famous for the good that they do for the country.

    I admit to reading into these gossip articles but I wouldn't mind reading about those who save a family from a burning house or a soldier surprising his wife and new born baby when he comes home three months early.

   These news reporters feed into other people's falls and by us reading into what they are saying, it only encourages this behavior. I believe that we should read less about other people's botox mishaps and more into the stories that can actually make a difference in our lives.

I'm Going to be a Senior in a Month? (PB)

   The 2014-2015 school year is coming to an end at Lakeview High School and although saying goodbye to the seniors will be hard, I have never wanted a school year to be over so much in my life. This year has been full of stress, late nights of studying and typing, endless homework, impossible tests, and a few hundred thoughts of dropping out of school and going to work at Wal-Mart (not that there's anything wrong with Wal-mart. Ask me how many times I go there a week). We have buckled down and taken our ACT, we have redone our schedules for next year about 10 times, and it's finally real; we are going to be seniors in a month.
   There are so many views on being a senior and I'm not sure which one I'm leaning towards more. There's the "I cant wait to be a senior because I hate everyone and want to get out of here" view, and then there's the "I don't want to grow up and move away and be independent" view. I feel as though I'm somewhere in the middle
   I can't wait to be a senior because that is what I have been working my whole life for. All the bitter sweet years of school in the Lakeview School district have been leading up to this moment. You get seniority over basically everything and get to go home and take a nap during open lunch every day because let's be honest here, that sounds pretty good in the middle of the school day. You also start to get excited for your future, being independent, and being able to move on with your life. You can make new friends and learn something that could actually pertain to what you want to do for the rest of your life and take classes that you are actually interested in; however there are some downfalls.
   With becoming a senior, you begin to have your last everything. Last first day of school (in high school, not pertaining to college), last homecoming dance, last football game that you will ever cheer at, last track meet you get to run at, last everything. You also get the great amount of nervousness and anxiety with where to go to school and what to go to school for and if you will get in or not; not to mention all the scholarships and essays you are going to have to write. And then there's the fear of growing up and becoming independent; not being able to live off of your parents as much and the thought that you may not be able to live with them ever again.
   Being a senior evokes a lot of emotions and although my use of pathos in these paragraphs may have made you confused pertaining to your feelings, think about this; we are almost done with the preparation that will lead us through the rest of our lives and as one of my favorite movies, The Fault in our Stars, once said, we're on a "roller coaster that only goes up, my friend."

So Will We Ever be Really Satisfied? (CRR)

     In class, we read a story about nature and how we take it for granted, by Emerson I believe. Some can say that we don't and I agree with this in some aspects because there are times when I look outside and just think... wow, but then I go on with my day. I do have to agree that we don't appreciate the wonders that nature provides to us.
    Although spring has been technically around for a while, today was the first day that I could comfortably wear shorts to school and although we have been overwhelmed by rain, it's warming up. We appreciate it for the first few days, maybe weeks but then what? We say, "it's such a beautiful day out," and then keep going. After we get tired of  spring we look for summer. Then once we're tired of the heat we look for fall. The changing leaves coloring the world red, yellow, orange and then onto winter. How beautiful it is when the snow falls perfectly onto the ground and how it glitters when the sun shines on fresh fallen snow. Will we ever be really satisfied?
    I'm not going to go to the extent that Emerson alluded to in the aspects of dropping everything and basically becoming a hippie but I do think that we should sit back sometimes and just let nature take us over. Appreciate the trees, give thanks to the flowers, acknowledge the shrubbery because at the end of the day, it's more than just an accessory of nature. The trees provide us with the air we breathe, the sun provides us with the vitamins and light we need, water provides us with the nourishment that keeps us around just a little longer.
    At the end of the day we are not the only ones who inhabit this earth, so why do we act like it? We don't appreciate the amazing nature that surrounds us and we always look for what is next and I guess what I'm trying to say is that we just need to take an extra 5 minutes out of our bust schedules every once in a while to just appreciate how much we do actually have.

This is my FREEBIE!

I know I sound kind of lazy doing my freebie as my first blog for the nine weeks but I've been busy and will make up for it the rest of the 9 weeks! You're the sweetest!! (:

Dress Codes: Effective or Sexist (CRR) / (SSR)

   All of the past few weeks we have talked about women's rights and prejudices and the education system so I decided to find a topic that pertains to all of it. In a post by the "Huffington Post", they talk of a girl, Gabi Finlayson,  who went to her school dance to have the time of her life and feel beautiful. Her dress met all the required dress codes but the teachers said that it revealed her shoulders too much and she would need to cover herself up. She then spent the remainder of the dance in a winter jacket, hurt and embarrassed. After the incident, her mother told the post that it's sad how we live in a world where showing your shoulders is turning into a "pornographic" thing.

   I agree with Mrs. Finlayson with how sad it is that we live in a world where girls have to "cover up" their shoulders so boys can control themselves. I believe that not only is that false information because I have never heard a guy compliment on how pretty my shoulders are, but I also believe that this is a sexist rule. Guys can wear "bro tanks" or tank tops and no one would think anything about it but don't even think twice ladies about wearing a shirt without sleeves that are atleast 4 inches long. When have we come to a place where girls should have to cover their feminine features to make sure guys can keep it under control?

   I'm not saying that women should be wearing underwear and a bra to school but we should be able to feel comfortable and not victimized for wearing clothes that make us feel pretty and beautiful. There are rape campaigns all over the world that fight for the women who are getting blamed for getting raped because "their clothes provoked it". These rapists and sexist people are just trying to find a way to blame the women and make this crime right. There is no way you can possibly justify molesting someone against their own will for "what they are wearing".

    I will give you that Lakeview has a very lenient dress code compared to some schools but it's depressing to think that we can't wear something to make us feel beautiful just because the administration thinks that we are trying to provoke something. It's one thing to have purple hair but it's another to just want to wear a tank top. Shoulders are not a provocative body part and us girls shouldn't be forced to "cover" ourselves up just because it "distracts others from learning". Even if this was the case, the girls should not be punished for the ways that boys look at them, now should they?

Do All These Tests Really Test the Right Things? (PB)



 

 

 

    These past few weeks have been pretty hectic at Lakeview. All you hear over the announcements anymore is when to go to and when to leave your testing rooms. The PARCC tests have taken over the area and I guess every school has been doing them. They are supposed to test us on our knowledge and in some ways they do that. I understand that we are supposed to remember important aspects of each subject but no one can remember every detail of their educational career, or at least anyone who isn't crazy. Can you remember the math or science that you learned in 6th grade or 5th grade? Probably not. These tests don't test your skills on how to balance a bank account or how to put a down payment on a house (I'm not even sure if I said that right because I never learned). These performance based assessments test you on who wrote the Constitution and what the primary colors are and unless you are planning on starring in a game show any time soon, I don't think these tests assess us on the right things.

 

 

    Granted that my grade only has to take a Government test and I am very thankful for that but some of these tests that the other grades have to take are ridiculous. There are many ways that smart people can do badly on these tests and the outcome just isn't fair. Yes, if you know what you're talking about you should probably do fine but the fact is that you're not going to remember every detail of everyday of your life. Another example is my sister. She was the only girl valedictorian of her class and got a full ride scholarship to the Ohio State University for the honors college, but she is the worst test taker I have ever met. Lauren likes to over analyze everything and second guess herself, keeping in mind that she takes about 5 minutes per question on her tests just to make sure she is right and with limited time, she usually doesn't do too good.. Not only does the stress of getting all the questions answered right take a big toll on students, but the stress of being timed plays an even bigger role.

 

 

 

    Your knowledge to colleges shouldn't be based off of a big test. One or two tests shouldn't get to define your whole high school career. Yes, some colleges do look at GPA's, do look at job experience, do look at community service, but I know a majority that base their decisions off of standardized tests. Say you have worked your whole life at the same job and the one day you get observed you mess something up. FIRED!!! You know what you're doing for the most part but you mess up one little detail and all of a sudden your boss thinks lower of you. That's how it feels to students to have our entire learning career be smashed into some little answer sheet. I understand that they want us to know how to use scientific notation and that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell but I would rather learn and be tested on the things that will be useful to me later in my life.

 

 



this is my freebie(:(:(:

Stopping at NO Lengths (PB)

"I'm sorry but you can't finish your track season until you receive your surgery." "I'm sorry but your surgery didn't work and we are not sure that track would be the best thing for you." "Not only do we think that your heart will hold you back from running but we have found that we think there is something wrong with your lungs." My cardiologist Dr. Grace Smith had said all of this to me last year when I found out that I have Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. Being one of the four people out of every one hundred thousand, I was a rare case, but nothing they had never seen before and after finding some issues with my heart while mapping it during surgery, four and a half hours later, they found out that I was one that they just couldn't fix. My extra blood vessel was too close to my main blood stream in my heart and to try to remove it could end up in my death, so here I am. They told me that I wouldn't be able to do track or any cardiovascular exercise for that matter to the extent that I needed to successfully compete in track. I may not be the BEST at track but it's something that I'm good at, something that I found myself looking forward to each year, something that I love, and the only thing that I can't do. But here I am, my fifth season of track starting and I'm leading the lines. 

After some heavy convincing to my doctor and parents, I convinced them that I know my limits and if I get close to reaching them, I will pull myself from what I'm doing. If I get light-headed, I need to sit down, if my heart pumps too fast, I need to sit down, if I feel like my lungs are working too hard, I need to sit down. How are you supposed to know if your heart is pumping too fast or you're just working hard? They told me of the precautions and how if I don't sit down, I have a chance that is too high of having a breathing attack, passing out, and even a heart attack. Sadly, that's how most athletes my age find out that they have the condition that I do. Luckily during my physical last year at my pediatric doctor, he happened to hear a "water sound" and sent me to get checked out. 

Even though I may not be able to go to the extents of the other runners, and this frustrates me because I try harder than most of them, I'm still running and I am so thankful that I'm allowed to do even that. Everyone doubted me. Everyone asked me why I even risk it or why track is so worth it. I hear everyone complain while running the mile in gym and trust me, with my condition, I contribute to the whining but track helps me in so many ways. I have made so many friends in track that I know I will keep for a while. Track keeps me in shape and helps me work out my heart. Track helps me relieve stress when I'm upset. I know that it may not be the best thing for me, with my heart condition still prevalent and not being cleared on my lungs yet, but I would much rather run and have to sit out every other sprint at practice than sit there like I did last year and watch as someone else runs the race that I should have been in.

The AP Test is Just Around the Corner

Essays, essays, essays.With how much we have written them lately, us students probably see them in our nightmares. We complain and fuss and whine about doing these essays, but think about it. The AP test is NOT in any way far off! Yeah, we have a few more months, but that's what we said about those government assignments we have online that got assigned to us in September. "Oh, they're not due until February. I will do them later." It's February and I know I sure don't have them done. Time flies and the end of the year will be here before we know it. We may hate that by the time we're done writing our essay in class, we can't feel our hand anymore, but think about going into that test and sitting there not even knowing what an 'analytical essay" is! These essays are more than effective in preparing us for the test. 

I feel as though my understanding of the types of essays and their form is pretty adequate, although my scores may say otherwise sometimes. I know that in an analytical essay, you should have at least 3 different rhetorical devices and that you need to explain how they relate to your closed thesis. I know that a synthesis essay requires loads of citations and tons of reading that you get about 0.2 seconds to read, and I know that an argumentative essay is mainly your opinion, but not too much of fallacious language. Would any of us even know that a fallacy was if we hadn't seen examples, read about it, and done a project on it? It may seem like a tad bit of over-kill, but try to forget what a fallacy is now.

My opinion on the essays is generally positive. Yes, I loathe the depth of thinking I am forced to do, but who doesn't? Almost all of us are lazy enough to say that. And yes, hand cramps do get annoying, especially when your mind is throwing ideas at you left and right and your hand is crying, but isn't it worth it? Getting out of two years of English in college and not having to pay those fees sounds pretty fantastic if you ask me! So why not do the work now instead of later in life?

Confusing items do come up in the essays at times, from not knowing a good word to describe what you're trying to say to not understanding a word of the prompt at all. There are always going to be obstacles in everything we do. It makes most of us feel like AP graders expect us to study the dictionary every night and have the knowledge of Jesus, but in all reality, we're the ones who took an AP course. We knew what we were getting ourselves into. We knew that with a hard class comes more rigor, more work. A college credit test is not going to ask you how to spell cat. Yes things can be hard at times, but we need to buckle up and try our best because in the end, all of this work will be worth it.