AF: Happy New Year

It makes me a little sad to see that this blog has gone to seed.  But the great thing about seeds is...they contain entire worlds of new growth within!  So let's see what we can get going out here.

I was just poking around on the internet and found this wonderful collection of essays about journalism and technology -- an essay competition that is a part of South by Southwest.  I  always thought SXSW was only a music festival, but now I see that it is a blossoming of all kinds of creative and intellectual work.

Take a look at one or two (or five) of these as part of your "Getting Smarter Every Day" program for 2017.    What is one way to prepare for the AP Exam in  May?  By constantly reading good thinkers and good writers -- by seeking them out, and sharing them here.  Read today, and come back tomorrow.  There may be more interesting stuff tomorrow.

Your fan,
Alexandra Fletcher

Hi, everyone. I hope you are all having a fun and relaxing break. I was just wondering if we really assigned an essay. At first I didn't think we were, but now I'm unsure. Does anyone know?

Idiom List

Hi there! I was looking up idioms out of boredom and I found this list of 66 idioms that have their meanings included. It isn't a lot, but I found it neat and I discovered some new phrases that I never heard of before like "a penny for your thoughts". If you're interested, here is the link.

Poor Education is a Lock with its Key Thrown Away

Everyone on the blog so far has said similar things, so we can conclude that the education system is antiquated. The majority can agree that this system, designed to help us improve and prepare for the real world, has; in fact, put a damper on our learning experience. However, rather than complaining about the grand-father system what are some ways that we as students can improve it? I was thinking a system this out of date probably hasn't been fixed because it's
simply too hard to change something that has been designed to be applicable to American students years to come. I figured the best way for our system to improve would be through the board of education taking the time out to do a poll, and genuinly ask students how they believe the system can be changed for the better. I assumed that since they took the time out to keep this obsolete system then they have plenty more to fix it. At the end the day, for this to be a success they would have to drop their parochial views and be open to change.  Because change is exactly what needs to happen with this method as schools continue to have new and different generations of students who are much too modern for something that has little to no impacting critique.
How do you all think we can improve our school system?
What measures would we  have to take to have a more sufficient method of education for future students?

Who Wore It Best

The education system that is implemented in our schools is designed to prepare the next generation of learning individuals so that they are able to go out into the world and make something out of themselves.  This key concept is the root of the issue.  Many would say that the whole point of high school is to shape us students into mature, hardworking adults so that we may be successful when we enter the real world.  This stays true to schooling and I agree that High School does prepare us for the real world but that is not the only reason we go to school.  From our first days of school back in elementary, things were obviously different because we weren't all competing for the best test score, or arguing about who was involved in the most extracurricular activities.  We were focused on the joy of making new friends and establishing bonds with our teachers but now, in high school, it has become a battle of competition.  It is a "who wore it best" type of situations. So many students are focused on who the top-ranked individual is or who has the highest score in their Math or English class.  Speaking for myself especially, I wholeheartedly believe that this battle for competition that has been carrying on for so very long should come to an end.  No matter what GPA we have, or what rank we might be, in the end, it won't matter because we are all equal.  Being that we are juniors here at Mayfair, I think we can all agree that High School has just become a battle for dominance.  Whether it be popularity or valedictorian, we can all achieve great things because we are all equal.  We are all people and we slip up and make mistakes but that is the meaning of life.  We learn from our mistakes so that we can correct them and develop as individuals.  Nobody is better than someone else just because they might have a higher GPA than that person.  This issue causes a domino effect that can be seen in our schools.  With the battle for dominance, it causes some students to not try as hard in school because they tell themselves that they aren't good enough.  That they won't be able to amount to anything because that one smart kid is in their class.  This idea of being superior to the rest only brings trouble down the road because when we go out into the world, there is nobody that is going to be at the top of the class.  Nobody who will have more friends than that one new girl.  Or the fact that someone is more involved than everyone else.  In the end, it won't matter.  To conclude, if we try our best and do what we love, we are making the most out of high school.  By setting goals and pushing ourselves to do better, who can pull us down.  When we compare ourselves to others, it only degrades us.  This is your life, do not spend it comparing yourself to anybody.  We are meant for so much more, we were not put on this Earth to live someone else's life.

Modifying The Educational System

In my essay, I explained how unnecessary school has become. Education is important to keep everything in society running smoothly. Our country would be even more chaotic then it already is without education; but I do believe that the educational system needs some modifications. The way that the educational system is currently set up, it does not allow students individual options, more specifically ones that offer opportunities that will benefit them throughout their lives. It is quite silly to make children generation after generation take the same classes that they most likely are not going to use during their daily lives.

However, Ms. Chick, the algebra 2 teacher made an interesting argument yesterday that I could not deny. She said that although it is true that majority of the things that we learn in school is irrelevant, there will always be that one time when you actually have to use the material that you learn. I would rather learn material that I am going to use nine times out of ten rather than material I am only going to use minimally throughout my life. Also I think that it is highly important for kids to be able to learn in a comfortable environment, and the way that schools are structured now are completely the opposite. Many people think that it takes money to efficiently run schools, and there is a lot of truth in that but one thing that I do not think is true, is that money is the sole factor for the sustainability of a school.

In conclusion, more options should be available to students, this would make them more ficus and interested, causing the dropout rate to decrease and to make sure that their future's are secured.

Success

Many people have different opinions about what they believe education is.  The world has most people believing that being educated means excelling in mathematics and English.  Although these subjects are important to know, it doesn’t make someone stupid or unambitious if they don’t pursue or excel in these subjects.  I think it’s important for schools and teachers to start supporting and inspiring their students to follow their real goals and desires.  People constantly feel pressured into pushing their passions aside in order to achieve society’s idea of success.