Busting at the Seams

Classroom sizes in public schools often determine the quality and amount of learning and how engaged a child will be in a learning environment.  Children to teacher ratio, especially in K-3, are extremely important because key factors and knowledge is acquired during these years which will contribute to the rest of their schooling experience.  If a child spends his or her first few years of school in an overcrowded classroom they would not receive the amount of attention needed to ensure they are receiving the foundation of information that they will need for the rest of their educational career.  Multiple studies have been performed with one exclusively by the Tennessee Star to demonstrate that classes containing 15-17 students have shown short and long term benefits to the students.  The studies all point to the direction that in large classroom sizes students are affected negatively because teachers are unable to address each student’s specific needs.

Classroom sizes increase when public schools are faced with budget cuts.  This occurs even with decades of support by parents and administrators to shrink classroom size.  Some classrooms are literally busting at the seams and teachers are unable to successfully teach all the children.  There are also several other factors that contribute to the successfulness of a school including the quality of the teaching, school overall size, school leadership, the amount of effort put in by a student, and amount of parent involvement, etc.  Small classroom size however, can always enhance and create a better learning environment for each student.

 Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers conducted a survey about what parents of children in public schools view as the most important aspect of school.  It showed that second to school safety, parent’s desire small classroom sizes.  Another aspect of public schooling to address is the classroom size from a teacher’s point of view.  Besides the fact that teachers are unable to connect and address each student’s needs, teachers can be easily overwhelmed with large classroom sizes.  With additional students, teachers gain more papers to grade, work to make up if they are absent, emails and questions to answer, and more parents to contact.  From the point of view of a student, parent, or teacher, small class sizes can always improve a school and foster higher achievement.

Depression Grows

 

The Cold Hard Truth

 Everything we do in life is political.  We choose a side for almost every aspect of life we participate in, whether it is party affiliation, sports team or religion.  There will be judgments received from others for  the decisions that we make.  Every decision you make in life will affect yourself and sometimes other people as well.  In Restrepo, the soldiers are forced everyday to make potential life changing decisions for themselves or other Afghanistan citizens.  They wake up wondering their next move.  Will they open fire or bomb other people.  These decisions are life changing and definitely political.  Although most decisions in everyday life do not involve killing other people, each and every choice in our lives is political.  We will be judged based on what we believe, choose to wear, where we go to college, or what food we eat.  These decisions may not be as serious or involve another human's life, but we are still choosing one thing over the other, classifying it as political.   

Restrepo is "political" because it only shows and offers interviews/scenes of war from the American side, though, overall the film is apolitical.  The theme focuses on the real aspects and truth of war.  It teaches you to appreciate what you have and accept the cold hard truth because sometimes life is not always perfect.  Restrepo doesn't beautify war or show soldiers only as heroes.  It never attempts to offer conclusions about the pros or cons about the war in Afghanistan or any debates.  No one within the movie judges it or drives you to feel a certain way; you are able to develop all these decisions on your own.  It allows you to create your own views and opinions about the war.  The film is not about actors portraying war, it is war.  There was no director adding in the shaky affects of the camera or loss of sound, it is the raw truth. The impact the film seeks to have on people is that it wants the viewers to have the ability to create their own opinions and judgments on war.  It provides the pictures and words of actual war to allow us to have the experience of being in the war with the soldiers.  The only ways the film is seen to be political is by providing after war interviews from generals and the soldiers.  In the interviews, the soldiers stay on the topic of the hard times and troubles that they experienced during war.

An Irreplaceable Gift

Over time things will wear, fade and change; but, they will continue to exist whether physical, in pictures, or in your memories.  Christmas of 2003 I was given a special gift that was a grey stuffed cat.  Opening the box from my Grandma was amazing.  I had such a big thrill tearing through the wrapping paper to discover the new treasure hiding inside.  At first glimpse, I just saw a grey stuffed cat, with three stripes on the head, and white paws.  Looking more closely however, I could see the plush, beautifully light grey colored cat who had tiny delicate curls throughout the body and the dark grey stripes so carefully placed directly over the eyes.  The plush fabric was delicate and soft to touch and the size was so astonishing for my small frame.  Twelve years later, the white paws have started to darken and the three dark grey stripes have almost vanished completely.  To any other person they may see an old stuffed worn toy animal, I see so much more.  It reminds me of so many memories of playing with my toy cat with friends, my two brothers and especially of my Grandma. 

Remembering the cat not only brings back so many special memories from my childhood; but, also makes me realize how much I have grown and matured.  If I currently opened a present that was a stuffed cat, I would be disappointed and extremely disillusioned.  Who wants another old stuffed animal when you could receive a new iPhone or car?  As a child, every gift seemed so amazing and exciting even if it was only a small stuffed animal.  It has created the realization that you should appreciate everything in life, even if it is only a small stuffed toy for the possibilities are limitless.  That particular toy is a very special reminder of my Grandma, who lived with our family, and the many memories we were able to create together.  It makes me realize that not every gift received has to be as amazing as a new iPhone because the smaller things are often what mean the most.  These gifts that are given with thought and love symbolize so much more than the expensive and popular ones.   As you get older, especially in your teenage years, the trade off is that everything needs to be bigger and better.  Sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy life and appreciate every little moment as what was consistently expressed to me by my Grandma.

Roses

Humans are like roses, during our life we bud, blossom, and grow.  We also have rough times during our life like the thorns of a rose bush.  Roses start out their life as small seeds which grow and develop into a plant, while humans start as a fetus and grown and mature into an infant.  Throughout life both roses and humans continue to grow.  First the bud will form and bloom into a rose and a baby will grow to a teenager then an adult.


Both roses and  human also experience rough periods of life.  Just like with roses thorns can  injure you or others.  Humans go through difficult times in life where they fall yet rise again, but have scars from the experience.  Humans can tease or bully others which can scar them internally.  Roses have thorns which can draw blood and injure people.

What people don't see is that a rose is so much more than just a flower.  It represents a life that blooms in the Spring and lives through the Summer.  When fall comes back around it struggles for life, although it is sad we can always remember it will return again next Spring.

Roses like humans not only represent a life, eventually it is life that was taken, a life that once was, and a life that will always be. 

Introduction

Every summer since I was born, my family and I vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  My brothers and I swim in the ocean together and play games all day on the beach.  Every night after dinner we sit at the table and play card and board games.  Although my brothers can be very annoying most of the time, the memories we make during these summer vacations are precious.  During the school year my family is too busy to spend time together playing simple games because of our sports and activities, so this time we are able to spend together is cherished.  After this summer I started to realize my time with my family is becoming limited.  I will eventually go to college and start a life on my own away from them.  In the back of my mind, I will always remember these times at the beach, and I know unlike time, the memories we create together are everlasting.

This blog will encourage you to cherish moments in the present and to remember you will always have memories to reflect on.  It will remind you that while time is always running and you move on to new things in your life, memories are everlasting.