Lunch in a high school cafeteria is made enjoyable not because of the food, but because of the interactions between friends and the relaxation of a break from a long day of school.
If you ask a high schooler what his favorite time of the school day is, he will probably say lunch time. This is not because of the cyclical portions that repeat themselves everyday, but because of the unpredictable, eccentric things that take place through conversations, interactions, and even simply in one's own mind. With the exception of a few high schoolers who are absolutely infatuated with food, the majority of high schoolers take their time walking to the cafeteria because they wait for their friends or need to take a football out of their locker. As the high schoolers walk into the cafeteria and grab their food without a second thought, they search for other sudents that belong in their people group. Once found, the students make a bee line straight for that certain group of people. Before sitting down, high fives, fist bumps, and possibly even hugs are given to everyone. Then, the conversations, jokes, awkward silences, and parking lot football games begin.
Even if a high schooler sits alone at lunch, it is not because he is too consumed in his food to interact with others. This high schooler may play on his Gameboy or Rubik's Cube. He may possibly even just imagine he was in a world far away. But he is not solely fixated on the food in front of him.
A cafeteria at a high school is a chance for students to recuperate from a long, hard morning of school. To be able to talk freely for a substaintial thirty minutes is much needed for high schoolers who are powered by their venti, sugar-free, non-fat, vanilla soy, double shot, no foam, extra hot, peppermint white chocolate mocha with light whip and extra syrup from Starbucks; or maybe just a Red Bull. It is truly surprising that high schoolers even have time to eat because of the amount of words they pack into a limited amount of time.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a gift to move crowds like few men have ever possessed. King led thousands of people in peaceful protests against the appalling view on slavery. Eight Alabama clergymen wrote to King while he was in jail. This letter contained their discontent with King's demonstrations. To this letter, King replies with an intelligent and persuasive response. He addresses all the claims made against him and denounces the concerns of the clergymen.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Burmingham Jail", King writes about many key and influential ideas that have been quoted in the past and are still used in the present. One of these ideas that has been quoted for nearly 50 years is the idea that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". This idea is both compelling and accurate. At this point in time, African-Americans were considered citizens of the United States of America. However, they were treated with extreme prejudice and injustice. In this quote, King is saying that because injustice has been shown to African-Americans, the door has been opened to injustice elsewhere. Adjustments had been made to the standards people had for justice and whites became accustomed to treating African-Americans with injustice. The dictionary definition of justice is fairness, equity, and impartiality. When African-Americans were not treated with fairness, equity, and impartiality, America had lost it's sense of integrity in the justice system which resulted in a threat to justice everywhere. If one group of people could be discriminated, why couldn't another?
An example of King's idea is Adolf Hitler and Germany's discrimination of the Jews. It began with a dislike and prejudice against the jews by taking away their rights. This injustice was much like the treatment of blacks in America. The Jews were limited as to what they could say, where they could go, and what they could do. This initial injustice opened the door to an injustice nobody could see coming. The death of six million jews.
Even a slight unfairness or inequity is a slippery slope. Once one people group is intentionally and consitently treated unjustly, it threatens the constitutional rights of everybody.
http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/civilrights.html
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/injustice
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143
In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Burmingham Jail", King writes about many key and influential ideas that have been quoted in the past and are still used in the present. One of these ideas that has been quoted for nearly 50 years is the idea that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". This idea is both compelling and accurate. At this point in time, African-Americans were considered citizens of the United States of America. However, they were treated with extreme prejudice and injustice. In this quote, King is saying that because injustice has been shown to African-Americans, the door has been opened to injustice elsewhere. Adjustments had been made to the standards people had for justice and whites became accustomed to treating African-Americans with injustice. The dictionary definition of justice is fairness, equity, and impartiality. When African-Americans were not treated with fairness, equity, and impartiality, America had lost it's sense of integrity in the justice system which resulted in a threat to justice everywhere. If one group of people could be discriminated, why couldn't another?
An example of King's idea is Adolf Hitler and Germany's discrimination of the Jews. It began with a dislike and prejudice against the jews by taking away their rights. This injustice was much like the treatment of blacks in America. The Jews were limited as to what they could say, where they could go, and what they could do. This initial injustice opened the door to an injustice nobody could see coming. The death of six million jews.
Even a slight unfairness or inequity is a slippery slope. Once one people group is intentionally and consitently treated unjustly, it threatens the constitutional rights of everybody.
http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/civilrights.html
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/injustice
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Banned Books
Books in a high school curriculum often contain some amount of inappropriate content that is banned or challenged. Parents, schools, and libraries most frequently challenge books with offensive language, sexuality, or content not suited for an age group.
The groups challenging these books want to protect a child from some of the ideas that might incite racism, perversion, or profanity. These are all legitimate concerns due to a teenager's easily impressible nature. However, a high schooler faces many of these problems on a day to day basis even without these books. Shouldn't parents, schools, libraries, and anyone else challenging these controversial books be focused on eradicating the problems in pop culture (which have a much greater influence on high schoolers)? However, removing the issues in pop culture would be a gargantuas task and, therefore, these problems will remain in the world. This is why keeping these issues in a high school curriculum is a wise idea. When youth are sent out into the world, it will be beneficial to have some understanding of the world's views on certain issues like those presented in the books in a high school curriculum. Also, these books (mostly classics) present these problems to high schoolers in a more sophisticated way, making the audience view them negatively. Books can adequately and accurately break down stereotypes and bias. Often times, stereotypes and bias are incorrect, unrealiable, and have little thought put into them. However, books can help expose people to the truths of cultures and societies helping to reduce predjudice.
Controversial books should remain in high school curriculum because they provide views and ideas that the reader will benefit from in the real world.
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/statistics
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
The groups challenging these books want to protect a child from some of the ideas that might incite racism, perversion, or profanity. These are all legitimate concerns due to a teenager's easily impressible nature. However, a high schooler faces many of these problems on a day to day basis even without these books. Shouldn't parents, schools, libraries, and anyone else challenging these controversial books be focused on eradicating the problems in pop culture (which have a much greater influence on high schoolers)? However, removing the issues in pop culture would be a gargantuas task and, therefore, these problems will remain in the world. This is why keeping these issues in a high school curriculum is a wise idea. When youth are sent out into the world, it will be beneficial to have some understanding of the world's views on certain issues like those presented in the books in a high school curriculum. Also, these books (mostly classics) present these problems to high schoolers in a more sophisticated way, making the audience view them negatively. Books can adequately and accurately break down stereotypes and bias. Often times, stereotypes and bias are incorrect, unrealiable, and have little thought put into them. However, books can help expose people to the truths of cultures and societies helping to reduce predjudice.
Controversial books should remain in high school curriculum because they provide views and ideas that the reader will benefit from in the real world.
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/statistics
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
Sunday, September 8, 2013
What You Should Know About Me
The most accurate thing anyone has ever said about me is that I'm ambitious. This meaning, when I have my mind set on something, there is no way on earth you're going to change it.
Before I talk too much about myself (which is what this blog is about) I'm going to talk a little bit about my family. My parents met at Wheaton College and married shortly after that. Not long after getting married they had my brother, Ben, and my sister, Elisa. A few years later they decided they were ready to handle a third kid. That's when my second sister, Heather, comes into the picture. 16 years ago, my parents came to the realization that they had yet to have the perfect kid. I turned up instead. I couldn't be more pleased with my family and I would give up anything for them.
If you try to know me by the expressions on my face, you won't know me at all. Even if you grab coffee with me and bombard me with questions, you won't know the real me. The best way to know me is simply through time. The more time you spend with me, the better you'll know me.
If you know me even slightly, you know my passion is basketball. Basketball is what drives me in everything. From the shoes to the game, I love everything about basketball. Through basketball I have developed discipline, drive, and even something to talk about.
I do not strive to fit in and would never compromise my personality simply to be liked. I won't tell you what you should and shouldn't do, it's not my business. Although, I stand strong to my convictions and I'm not afraid to say no to anyone.
I consider it a gift to be ambitious and to have drive and a purpose. I truly believe this will be the reason I succeed in life.
Before I talk too much about myself (which is what this blog is about) I'm going to talk a little bit about my family. My parents met at Wheaton College and married shortly after that. Not long after getting married they had my brother, Ben, and my sister, Elisa. A few years later they decided they were ready to handle a third kid. That's when my second sister, Heather, comes into the picture. 16 years ago, my parents came to the realization that they had yet to have the perfect kid. I turned up instead. I couldn't be more pleased with my family and I would give up anything for them.
If you try to know me by the expressions on my face, you won't know me at all. Even if you grab coffee with me and bombard me with questions, you won't know the real me. The best way to know me is simply through time. The more time you spend with me, the better you'll know me.
If you know me even slightly, you know my passion is basketball. Basketball is what drives me in everything. From the shoes to the game, I love everything about basketball. Through basketball I have developed discipline, drive, and even something to talk about.
I do not strive to fit in and would never compromise my personality simply to be liked. I won't tell you what you should and shouldn't do, it's not my business. Although, I stand strong to my convictions and I'm not afraid to say no to anyone.
I consider it a gift to be ambitious and to have drive and a purpose. I truly believe this will be the reason I succeed in life.
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