Last night I went to a program with a youth group called BBYO (I am sure that you have or will read about this on Zoe's blog). I only go every once in a while, but this time it was a mother/daughter program...so my mom made me go. There, I realized that my mom actually looks really good. I know that sounds extremely weird so I will explain; my mom used to be overweight--not like obese, but just overweight. In June, she decided that, for her own birthday present, she would hire a nutritionist.
This nutritionist has changed my whole family's lives because if my mom is going to eat healthy, then we all are. At first, we would all tease my mom about the foods she would buy or the (what we thought as) huge amounts of fruits and vegetables she would eat a day. After a few weeks, though, we started doing the same as her. At first I would protest when my mom would buy fresh bread rather than the packaged kind at Publix, but now I appreciate how much better this bread is for us. Additionally, when we go out for dinner, it is easy to find healthy items on the menus.
You are probably wondering what the point of this blog is, so I will fix that. Along with the change in my house and some of the things I am actually learning in online PE, I have realized how terrible the foods most people eat are. The healthy foods are so expensive, so people just buy packaged, unhealthy foods. This issue really needs to be resolved; I am just not exactly sure how. For one, even though fast food restaurants are adding healthy foods to their menus, that is not going to change what people order. Most people go to fast food restaurants to order the unhealthy foods anyway. Second, most people probably don't even realize how bad the foods they eat are. Kids need to be educated, so they can grow up with healthy eating habits. Eating healthy has become a fad, but hopefully it won't go away. If we can all start eating healthier, then there will be hope that, in the future, people will do the same.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Online Journal Project--#3
So today when I realized that I had to write two blog posts, I wasn't really sure what I was going to discuss. Then, I realized that an event that occurred this week is worth talking about on my blog! This past Wednesday was the scheduled date for my AP U.S. History practice exam. Of course I procrastinated and did not start studying until Sunday night (which is not enough time to know the entire history of America). I figured that it wouldn't be my best grade, but I would work hard to do really well on the actual AP Exam. So, I went to second period, took my test, and left the room feeling relieved and relaxed knowing that the test I had been dreading for a week was finally over. That night I went on Home Access to see if the grades were up about ten times (and I'm not exaggerating). However, it was not posted, but I figured that was normal and that my teacher hadn't had time. Now is when the interesting part begins....
The next day I walked down the hall towards my class thinking that we would be getting our tests back and going over them. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong. As every member of my class walked through the door, my teacher handed us all scantrons which can only mean one thing: we are taking a test. Everyone looked around at each other with confused expressions wondering what was going on. Most people thought it was a joke, but others rushed to their seats to cram some last minute random information before this "test." After the bell rang, when my teacher came into her room, she didn't have her usual happy expression; instead, she looked serious and a little mad. We all asked what was going on, and, finally, she told us: we were retaking the practice exam. Screams came from all around the room objecting to this statement while some people still thought it was a joke. My teacher shut down that proposal quickly-- this was not a joke. Apparently, there were some "irregularities" with the grades from the previous test, so--SUPRISE-- we all had to take it again.
By "irregularities" we all know that means that some desperate student decided to cheat. A kid who usually doesn't do so well on the tests somehow pulled out an extremely high grade. Yes this is possible, but I mean probably not for more than one person. The question everyone was wondering was: why do we all have to retake the test if they obviously know who cheated? I still don't really have an answer to this question. I guess they had to make sure the people didn't just study a lot, but why not just talk to them about it first...or do anything besides make all 90 of us who take APUSH retake the test. I'm obviously not a teacher so I don't know exactly what is going on behind the scenes, but I just wish they had a better way to handle the situation. Also, if the cheaters don't confess, then the second grade will get counted for all of us. I really think this is unfair because the kids who cheated may still get a high grade! Some people think that the teachers made the right decision, but it might take me a while to figure out their logic. So, I guess I will have to wait until Monday to see the final results of this issue; all I want is for it to turn out fairly!
The next day I walked down the hall towards my class thinking that we would be getting our tests back and going over them. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong. As every member of my class walked through the door, my teacher handed us all scantrons which can only mean one thing: we are taking a test. Everyone looked around at each other with confused expressions wondering what was going on. Most people thought it was a joke, but others rushed to their seats to cram some last minute random information before this "test." After the bell rang, when my teacher came into her room, she didn't have her usual happy expression; instead, she looked serious and a little mad. We all asked what was going on, and, finally, she told us: we were retaking the practice exam. Screams came from all around the room objecting to this statement while some people still thought it was a joke. My teacher shut down that proposal quickly-- this was not a joke. Apparently, there were some "irregularities" with the grades from the previous test, so--SUPRISE-- we all had to take it again.
By "irregularities" we all know that means that some desperate student decided to cheat. A kid who usually doesn't do so well on the tests somehow pulled out an extremely high grade. Yes this is possible, but I mean probably not for more than one person. The question everyone was wondering was: why do we all have to retake the test if they obviously know who cheated? I still don't really have an answer to this question. I guess they had to make sure the people didn't just study a lot, but why not just talk to them about it first...or do anything besides make all 90 of us who take APUSH retake the test. I'm obviously not a teacher so I don't know exactly what is going on behind the scenes, but I just wish they had a better way to handle the situation. Also, if the cheaters don't confess, then the second grade will get counted for all of us. I really think this is unfair because the kids who cheated may still get a high grade! Some people think that the teachers made the right decision, but it might take me a while to figure out their logic. So, I guess I will have to wait until Monday to see the final results of this issue; all I want is for it to turn out fairly!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Online Journal Project--#2
Something that I've been talking about recently with my friends is the amount of sleep we are all getting. I usually go to sleep by 11 the latest and I get up at 6:30; that is probably the minimum number of hours I can get per night to actually be able to function the next day. On the other hand, my friend said she went to be at 1:30 and got up at 5. That just doesn't seem right. How is it possible that someone can sleep for 3.5 hours and be able to do well in school? The problem goes even further though: this sleep deprivation is occurring with most students.
My idea of getting a good amount of sleep is 8 hours; meanwhile, many of my friends are lucky if they get 5-6. The stresses of teenagers' daily lives, among with the amount of sleep doesn't seem like it will be a healthy result. It is an ongoing cycle that won't stop unless parents and kids realize what they are doing. For example, one of my friends goes to sleep at around 1 every night, but she barely ever does her homework. Then, she spends all of her morning classes doing her homework for the classes in the afternoon. When she gets home, she naps; and the cycle continues. Another one of my friends plays soccer and doesn't get home from practice or a game until at least 7. This leaves barely any time for homework and relaxing, forcing her to stay up late.
Somehow, we need to find a way to stop this cycle. Students' sleep schedules effect all aspects of their lives. (This is actually pretty ironic, though, because I am writing this at 12 am.) It is not fair to teachers or students when there are kids sleeping in every corner of the classroom. However, it is also not fair that students feel the pressure to stay up all night doing homework keeping the cycle of staying up late going for weeks at a time. I'm not sure if there are any real solutions to this problem other than some time-management classes at school. Just kidding that would be weird, but I really just want students to be able to enjoy their weeks not having to worry about when they will have time to sleep, do their homework, relax, and their extra-curricular activities.
My idea of getting a good amount of sleep is 8 hours; meanwhile, many of my friends are lucky if they get 5-6. The stresses of teenagers' daily lives, among with the amount of sleep doesn't seem like it will be a healthy result. It is an ongoing cycle that won't stop unless parents and kids realize what they are doing. For example, one of my friends goes to sleep at around 1 every night, but she barely ever does her homework. Then, she spends all of her morning classes doing her homework for the classes in the afternoon. When she gets home, she naps; and the cycle continues. Another one of my friends plays soccer and doesn't get home from practice or a game until at least 7. This leaves barely any time for homework and relaxing, forcing her to stay up late.
Somehow, we need to find a way to stop this cycle. Students' sleep schedules effect all aspects of their lives. (This is actually pretty ironic, though, because I am writing this at 12 am.) It is not fair to teachers or students when there are kids sleeping in every corner of the classroom. However, it is also not fair that students feel the pressure to stay up all night doing homework keeping the cycle of staying up late going for weeks at a time. I'm not sure if there are any real solutions to this problem other than some time-management classes at school. Just kidding that would be weird, but I really just want students to be able to enjoy their weeks not having to worry about when they will have time to sleep, do their homework, relax, and their extra-curricular activities.
Online Journal Project--#1
At first, I had no clue what I was going to write for all of these journals. I love how we get to choose whatever we want, rather than being given a specific topic, but it is still hard to come up with something at first. However, after a few different occurrences this week, I decided to discuss the success of online schooling.
The video we watched in class about education reforms sparked a conversation between my friends and I a few days later about online schools. We pretty much decided that none of us would be able to do school online because of the many distractions of the internet. Also, reading off of a computer screen with no one physically with you to discuss things with or ask questions seem extremely difficult. It actually seems to go against the argument the video had. It wouldn't help kids to discover or promote creativity because it just sticks them in front of a computer screen for eight hours.
I actually have a personal experience with online school because I am taking personal fitness with Georgia Virtual School. I know personal fitness sounds like it is no big deal, but it is actually a ton of work. Besides having 6 workouts per week and 40 minutes each, there are lessons, worksheets, projects, and quizzes on anything between types of exercising to stress. Speaking of stress...this class, although online, is extremely time-consuming considering I have six other classes to worry about for actual school. I feel that the set up of the virtual school is not the best for interactive learning. If a student took all of their classes online, they would be falling asleep reading the screen. Therefore, education reform would definitely be helpful, however, the use of technology instead of interactive teaching would be a major set-back for students.
The video we watched in class about education reforms sparked a conversation between my friends and I a few days later about online schools. We pretty much decided that none of us would be able to do school online because of the many distractions of the internet. Also, reading off of a computer screen with no one physically with you to discuss things with or ask questions seem extremely difficult. It actually seems to go against the argument the video had. It wouldn't help kids to discover or promote creativity because it just sticks them in front of a computer screen for eight hours.
I actually have a personal experience with online school because I am taking personal fitness with Georgia Virtual School. I know personal fitness sounds like it is no big deal, but it is actually a ton of work. Besides having 6 workouts per week and 40 minutes each, there are lessons, worksheets, projects, and quizzes on anything between types of exercising to stress. Speaking of stress...this class, although online, is extremely time-consuming considering I have six other classes to worry about for actual school. I feel that the set up of the virtual school is not the best for interactive learning. If a student took all of their classes online, they would be falling asleep reading the screen. Therefore, education reform would definitely be helpful, however, the use of technology instead of interactive teaching would be a major set-back for students.
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