BHS.

In the public school system teachers are required to educate to a variety of studends whose learning ability ranges from students with special needs to honors graduates. The best way for a student to reach his or her full potential woud be a one on one learning system between the student and teachers. This would require the teacher to focus more on the individual needs of the student instead of the average level of the students educational level.

In today's quick paced time period teachers must also compete with technology and media forces. The constant waves of technology brought into the school district has forced teachers to continually update their teaching criteria and means of instruction. Educators are now more reliable on the given technology and turned more in the direction of being a facilitator instead of a lecturer. Students are lead to discovery new ideas and research knowledge on their own.

Another major issue in today's public schooling is the lack of enthusiasm towards learning among the student body. Entertainment has become a huge factor in the way many educators are forced to teach simply due to the fact that the students become easily bored and unwilling to learn. In my opinion, the best way to handle this situation is not to try and make school a place for more entertainment than learning, but instead make school optional. The students that truly want the satisfaction of a genuine education would attend and those that could care less and are holding back the more advanced students could find other means of success. Don't get me wrong, school doesn't have to be dreadful, but maybe we should rethink the "No Child Left Behind" laws.

In Emerson's essay he discusses the school systems "[lowering their flag]". I fully believe that this should be a primary concern of Batesville. Instead of building student up and forcing them to put in the extra effort, many teachers lower even their standards of achievement for the students because they are aware of the kids lack of interest. When working in the large class setting such as the Batesville district Emerson also discusses the issue of "reefing your sails to wait for the dull sailors." Again, the higher level students are forced to hold back, or be at a standstill, while waiting for other lower level students to fully understand the lesson. This also gives the higher level students no extra push to move forward onto a range of more difficult concepts that should be learned due to the fact that they are above average for their class.

Instead of being a forced routine that each student must endure, the school system must become that of a relaxed environment with complete student in-put for each child to gain the remarkable education they deserve.

Put It On A Table.

     Almost everyone as a child has some sort of toy that was labeled as their best friend forever. Something as powerful as a superman action figure or as fluffy as a stuffed teddy bear could fight off the monsters in the dark, and it was never, under any circumstances, left at home. Of course, I had my own best friend.  But instead of it being some stylish blonde Barbie, mine was a square feather pillow.
     Throughout my entire childhood my pillow never left my side. To be 100% honest, I still sleep with it every night. Yeah, I'm a big baby child at heart. As I grew up the reason my pillow was never shoved in an old storage box and put in the attic wasn't because I was still scared of the dark, but because it was part of my life. Having it has become a habit and I've simply grown used to seeing it. Some days my pillow brings forth no emotion from me. Other times, when I'm tired and dragging myself to my bed, I see it and I'm immediately comforted. When someone goes on vacation for a long period of time, they long for the feeling of being back in their own bed. For me, as long as I have my pillow it is if I am in my very own bed. It makes me think of home and several of my best childhood memories.

     When I was a four year child my grandmother from my father's side, Mama Lena, created my life-long pal. Shortly after one of my father's duck hunting trips, Mama Lena carefully sewed a pillow case and filled it with genuine duck feathers. At the time she had no idea the impact this pillow would have on my life. A year later my parents divorced. Traveling back and forth between my mother's house and my father's was even more difficult to do when I only had one  pillow. Carrying my pillow to each house with me became such a hassle that my grandmother eventually had to make a second identical one. Although that particular problem had been easily solved, there were still many problems that were not solved so smoothly such as leaving my pillow at hotels and not realizing this tragedy until my family had traveled half way home. Luckily, my pillow was always recovered and returned to me safe and sound.  Other than the time of my parents divorce, my pillow was also a comfort object when I went through otoplasty ear surgery in second grade. My pillow was there for me like a friend who is always there by your side.

     My pillow is definitely nothing special. At first glance, I see a standard size cream colored pillow case full of flattened 12 year old duck feathers. It is lumpy, deflated, and wrinkly. The musty smell of McDonald's pancake syrup caused by many Saturday morning at home breakfasts is so strong you can almost taste it. (Olivia Jamieson has always called it my syrup pillow.) When I grab my pillow it feels chilly at first, but quickly warms up to body temperature, and the thin, warn out cotton case makes a quiet rustle.

      As I think back on the connections I make with my pillow, I realize they are extremely comforting and joyful. There is an overwhelming number of times that I have cried on, slept with, and shared fun times with. It is and always will be my most cherished childhood possession.

XYZQRT.

Whose homework this is I think I know.
Their class is in the high school, though.
Even when summer is so near
Worthless assignments continue to grow.


My classmates and I constantly complain
That the last seven days are torture to the brain.
It's impossible for us to not scream out
"All these teachers are such a pain!"


Sleeping in late and doing nothing at all
Is what we long for until the beginning of fall.
Days in the sunlight and being with friends
Is a much bigger thrill than roaming this hall.


All this work must be done before we can rest
in order to pass our semester tests.
Too bad all this pointless work will be forgotten.
Too bad all this pointless work will be forgotten.

Youth.

What happens to our youth?

Does it dissapear with time

like a shadow from the sun?

Or suddenly like a flash of light

and then the aging has begun?

Does it remain like a breath of fresh air?

Or strip the mind

like a tomb left bare?

Maybe it just has no end

like a dark and winding hall.

Or does it truly exist at all? 

Character Analysis.

The epic poem “Antigone” by Sophocles is a tragic drama dealing with the struggle of choosing between honoring family values and obedience to the law. The setting is in the town of Thebes, where a young woman by the name of Antigone is filled with determination to stay true to her religion as well as her family. Because Antigone’s brother, Polynices, betrayed his home land, it was ordered by Creon, the newly named king of Thebes, that Polynices “shall be neither buried nor mourned by anyone” but instead “a feast for birds and dogs [and] an outrage to see.” Antigone’s outrage at the dishonoring of her family member leads her to break the set law and bury her brother as planned.

Due to Antigone’s strong willed attitude, she proves to be a non-stereotypical character.  The women of Antigone’s culture had an extremely set role in their society. Unlike in the present day, women were not socially accepted and did not have a say in nearly anything.  Antigone went against the normal standards of a young woman simply to save the honor of a family member. The role of Antigone was also a major character but is neither a protagonist nor an antagonist. She is a morally good character by keeping her beliefs of religion strong, yet she is punished in the end for her stubbornness and inflexibility in her decisions.

Throughout the poem, Antigone remains a static, or unchanging, character. She continues to fight for her longing desire to “go and heap a tomb for [her] dearest brother.” Denying Polynices an honorable burial robs him of his rightful journey into the underworld.  The belief of Antingone’s religion is the strict idea that all must be given the appropriate burial ceremony in order to honor the Gods. Not even a law for which the “penalty is death by public stoning” can waiver Antigone’s course to never “dishonor the gods’ commands.”  Antigone’s actions prove her to be an intensely dedicated religious woman. She will stop at nothing to honor and obey her gods.

Antigone’s fervent love for her brother motivates her to do what she believes is morally right although the results prove her to be somewhat erratic. Her strongest behavioral aspect, which is her dedication to her religion, is also Antigone’s downfall in the fact that she is willing to risk her own life and die for her beliefs. She does not agonize over her decisions, but instead is very single-minded about them. Antigone’s conflicting disposition towards Creon portrays the external conflict of man vs. man. Antigone’s actions are punished by Creon who sentences her to exile “where she must either die or be entombed alive.” She accepts her fate and soon after takes her own life in order to “journey to [her] own people” of the underworld.

Religious aspects and beliefs had an extremely firm grasp on Antigone’s lifestyle. Her enthusiasm of making her own decisions proves Antigone to have non-stereotypical characteristics. She never lets go of her strong hope to “not be found a traitor” to her brother, Polynices. Antigone is also very passionate about her feelings towards the gods and the people of the underworld because she “must please those below a longer time than people here, for [she] shall lie there forever.”

-illegal love-

What is a parent?
According to family.findlaw.com, a parent is defined as the person who has the right to live with a child, make decisions about the child's education, well being, and health, and must also support the child financially (Legal Issues for Gay and Lesbian Adoptions).


What makes a parent "good'?
Although there are many different opinions on "good parenting", many will agree on the characteristics of love, affirmation, worth, trust, and unity as being vital psychological needs of any and every child.


Can anyone be a parent?
Legally, no. National, as well as state, laws have banned the rights of same-sex parenting. Two humans that could both be placed in the category of "good parenting" are not capable of having the joy of children simply because of their sexually preference.

In the United States, there are only five states that allow a joint gay adoption and have accepted the lifestyle of same-sex parenting. This leaves over 90% of the country that still believes adoption centers are a more suitable environment for a child to be raised in as opposed to a loving home. Scientific research has shown that LGBT parents are as fit and capable as heterosecual parents, and their children are as psychololically healthy and well-adjusted as children raised by heterosexual parents.


Tyler Oakley, a well known youtuber and gay rights activist, has created several videos on the legal issues of the topic. In one specific video, "Why Gay Marriage is WRONG", Tyler is using a very sarcastic tone to explain why gay marriage as well as gay adoption is "wrong". Throughout the video he is able to make many valid points that I personally agree with. One problem in the U.S. as well as all over the world is the number of children withought parents. It is said that there are over 100 million orphans worldwide. Many of these children will never have the luxury of a home life and will be forced to live in orphanages until they become adults.  In response to the number of gay couples wanting to adopt, Tyler sarcastically stated, "It's not like our orphanages are fully or anything" (Oakley).

"If we had gay marriages, they would raise gay children, and why would we want that? I mean, if you look at it, straight parents only raise straight children, so why would we want to make more gay children in the world" (Oakley)? One major reason many people are against gay adoption is because they automatically assume that simply because a child is raised in a homosexual environment, the child themself will also be gay. In my opinion, this is an absurd statement for anyone to make. Obviously, straight couples raise gay children all the time. Also, there are many straight men and women that were raised by gay couples. Tyler's quote gives an excellent example to prove this point.

"Having two moms or two dads is far better than having no parents at all" ("Wisconsin State Journal").

"Legal Issues for Gay and Lesbian Adoption." family.findlaw.com. Findlaw, n.d.. Web. 17 Feb 2011. http



Johnson, Ramon. "What They Aren't Telling You About Gay Adoption." gaylife.about.com. about.com, n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2011

"Why Gay Marriage is WRONG." youtube.com. Web. 20 Feb 2011