School: Learning To Prepare For A Test

During the week, we the students come to class, learn the required material, then rinse and repeat. Since we have all adapted to this, nothing seems wrong with how school is conducted. But what exactly are we preparing for in the future? A test. For what? How is a test going to prepare us for our future and get us ready for our careers? It is simply not going to work; not on its own anyway.

Standardized testing has always been around in our society, and it is likely to stay that way. When it was first introduced to the school system, it served as a way to evaluate how well students learned  rather than showing what the students learned. This was perfect for the way the world worked back then...but in a divergent thinking world; it is ineffective. Rather than teaching to appeal to different learning styles, teachers are forced to teach student the same thing. The fact of the matter is that no two people learn the same way. Take your regular classroom setting for example. There are three groups of students: the high achievers, the average learner, and the below average learner. Logically, the below average and average would learn just fine, considering that the tests are designed for the average learner. While the below average are challenged during class, what about the over achieving students? Sure, we place honors classes in schools for them, but it does not help for a school like Bartlett Yancey where you can submit a waiver to be enrolled in such a course. As a student who has taken regular courses, honors courses, and one AP course, I can personally say there is not much of a difference on what is being taught for each level of class. To be blunt: there is only more work involved for higher level courses. Back when I was freshman, I took Honors English 1. We prepared for the English 1 EOC. Not the Honors English 1 EOC, but the regular English 1 EOC. How was I being challenged if what I learned then was preparing me for an average student's exam? I was merely balancing a heavier workload, just like all my other honors classmates.

The reason students of America are not matching up to international standards is due to the very beliefs of America. Our country believes that we should provide an education for all, which is a very fine thing. Other countries like Japan tend to only educate higher level students and push the average and below level students straight into the work force. It almost seems as if we only have two ways to educate children: either focus on the over achievers and forget about those students slightly below average, or provide an education for all but neglect challenging our more advanced students. There is a way we can do this, and we just have to find a way to appeal to all types of learners. But at the current rate of progress for America's education system, I do not think we will be seeing a change any time soon.

 

Alamance Regional Donates Heart Monitors To Middle Schools In Alamance County

Link to the article

Who: Alamance Regional LifeStyle Center

What: Alamance Regional LifeStyle Center donates heart monitors to seven middle schools

Where: Alamance County

When: February 19th

Why or How: To add some technology to P.E classes and possibly for the schools athletes

Summary: Alamance Regional LifeStyle Center just donated heart monitors to seven middle schools in Alamance County. With a total of 210 given out, each of the middle schools were given 30. The students of the middle schools will receive a lesson on how to operate the monitors. Kevin Wellman, P.E and heath teacher of Torrentine Middle School says, "The kids are very excited about using new equipment and tracking their progress through physical activity."

My Inspiration: Rick Allen

As a drummer, my inspiration tends to come from musicians (mainly drummers). There is only one man that inspires me more than others, and that man is Rick Allen.

Looking at the picture, you can see that this drummer is severely handicapped because of only having one arm. On December 31, 1984 Allen was in a car crash that would ultimately cost him his left arm. Though Def Leppard knew Allen was at a major setback, they went on hiatus while he was recovering. The band often came by the hospital and spoke words of encouragement to Allen. Jeff Rich, previous drummer for Status Quo helped Allen design a electronic set for him to play on and personally worked with Allen to redevelop his playing style.

I wanted to include this back-story because...well, it's my main source of inspiration. This has it all: band mates that stuck by his side during a tough trial, and achieving success even at an extreme handicap. I truly respect Def Leppard more as a band for not treating Rick as "just a drummer." They looked at him as a true friend and would not continue their success without him. Rick Allen owes a little credit to Jeff Rich, but I believe he should be patting him self on the back right now. If he did not have the motivation within himself to relearn his playing, then he would most likely living in his former self. He could have felt sorry for himself for the remainder of his life, but he chose not to let a lost arm stand in the way of doing what he loves.

When I first read this article, it changed me in two ways.

1. To be there for all my friends; no matter what the circumstance is. You never know how big of an influence you can be to someone in their time of need. Besides, I know I would love to have a few good friends during a crisis to give me encouraging words. 
2. To live out my dreams, no matter what. Climb the highest mountain, sail through the raging seas, whatever it takes to meet your goals. You can sit back and watch your life fly by and think to yourself, "I wish I had done that," or take chances and achieve what you have always wanted. If Rick Allen can go through a tragic accident and push on to do what he wants, so can I.

A Quick Reminder on How to Follow Someone On Blogger

Many of us were trying to figure out a way to do this in class. Through experimenting at home, I found a basic way that lets you see updates from those you're following as soon as you log on!

Here are the steps:

1. Log into Blogger.
2. On the home page, scroll down to where it says "Reading List"
3. Once you have found this, click the "Add" button directly underneath it.
4. Have the person you wish to follow blog url. Paste this into "Add from url"
5. Click follow. Now you will be updated every time this person creates a new post!

Hope this helped those who were having trouble!