Emily Holmes's blog

Single Sex Classrooms

Some have argued that kids and teens are able to focus and have a more profitable experience in single-sex classrooms due to the differences in how boys and girls learn. Although not all boys and girls learn in a completely different manner, one organization, NASSPE, argues that it's more a way to “celebrate the diversity among girls and boys”. Some parents also believe that having their kids in a single-gender classroom setting will break down the “gender intesification” that occurs in co-ed classroom settings. For example, at co-ed schools, a girl who wants to play football may be told “that's for boys” or a boy who wants to read poetry will be told “that's for girls.” In other words these stereotypes set up by co-gender peers will limit students in learning to the best of their ability. With that said, the NASSPE also argues that children learning in a stereotype-free classroom, boys will be mroe likely to explore the language and the arts and girls will be more likely to explores sciences and different forms of math.

I do not agree that boys and girls would profit more from attending classes that are restricted to boys or girls. Co-ed interaction is neccessary for social interaction. The idea of single-sex classrooms for maths, sciences, and arts are, however, a good idea. Students could take single sex science/math/art classes during elementary school and middle where stereotypes are often at their peak. However, signle sex classes should not be needed in high school. High school is a time where teenagers are discovering which career path they would like to take in life and exploring that through electives in the maths, sciences and arts are a big part of that. The classes should be co-ed because that's the way the world is. There are no single sex work places and there are not many single sex colleges. In the real world, young adults need to learn to pursue what they love in life, no matter what anyone else thinks of that. We can only protect children from stereotypes and judgements by their peers for so long.

#12 Favorite Childhood Toy

For this week's blog, please describe your favorite childhood toy. What was it? How old were you? Why was this toy so special? What eventually happened to it?

As I think about my childhood toys, several come to mind. I think about the baby dolls I had, or my ferbie and even the black sheep stuffed animal my grandmother gave me when I turned 5. I loved the sheep my Grandma gave me, but I didn't like to play with it. She had passed away later that year, and so, I always wanted to keep the stuffed sheep in the pefect condition, on my bed, next to my pillow. It was so special that I didn't want anything to happen to it.

Because I didn't play with my stuffed sheep as much as I treasured it, I would have to say that absolute favorite toy, or toys, were my Polly Pockets. I remember playing with them ALL the time. I hated Barbies, and Bratz dolls, but I remember all loving my Polly Pockets. I had a backpack full of them. I think I had them when I was 5 or 6 years old. But I guess they were special to me because they were the only toys I really ever played with, and I brought them everywhere. They hold a place in my heart now, because I look back at my childhood and the dolls and I remember my Grandma's house and the time I spent there with her.

Eventually, I ended up losing them. I went to the daycare at the gym where my mom worked out. I would always bring them because I would play with my friend who's mom also worked out there. But one day I forgot to bring them home- I didn't notice until the next day. My mom and I went back to the gym to look for them, but they were gone. I was pretty much devestated.

#11 College Athletes and Cheating

Recently, there have been several cases of cheating by college athletes, more sepcifically at Florida State Univeristy. Academic cheating is everywhere- in middle schools, high schools, and colleges and is in done by all types of students, not just athletes. However, there is much to look down upon regarding college athletes cheating, or recieving "inappropriate help", and still  being allowed to play. The NCAA has established rules to cut back on cheating in their schools, and to prevent students who are great athletes but cannot handle college work from being granted admission to their university. 

In my opinnion, all students regardless of their athletic ability, should have to meet all requirements that are needed for admittance whatever college they wish to attend. Athletic ability should not override academic strengths or weaknesses when in determining someone's elegibity to attend a school. If someone does have the academic strength to be able to attend a college as an athlete, then that is great. However, some argue that the reason cheating occurs in atheletes is because they are not allowed a sufficent amount of time to complete their schoolwork and be a full time athlete. Instead of athletes getting "innapropriate help" to make the grade and still be able to play sports, they should be given little extensions here and there if they absolutely need them. They should have to earn their grade just as everyone else earns their's, they just might need extra time. 

As for athletes being recruited and then payed to play sports for a college, I am torn on that subject. I believe that to be wrong in some ways- it would give colleges a bad image and make aspiring college athletes believe that education is unimportant. However, if there are athletes that cannot handle college academics, but have a strong possibility of having careers as professional athletes and playing for the "big leagues", I believe they deserve a chance at a successful future. But how can you have a shot at playing professionally if you do not play for well recognized colleges? 

#10 Advice for Teachers

Over the years that I have been in school, I have come across a variety of teachers, all with unique and different personality traits and ways of teaching. My past teachers have ranged from crazy to sane, interesting to boring, mean to nice, traditional and untraditional. There are several teachers I’ve come to love, looking back on how much I’ve really learned from them, and from others, I feel the complete opposite. If I had to choose two character traits of teachers that I find most helpful, useful or inspiring I would choose: 1) Allowing students to work in groups- it helps students to learn from one another, to ask questions and figure things out as a team. This really helps each student involved get a better understanding of the material being taught. However, groups are best for in-class activities. When the teacher uses groups for outside of school assignments, it just leaves the students aggravated trying to find a place and time to get together- teenagers are busier than some may think! 2) Another trait that is extremely beneficial to students: going over material before and after a test or quiz, especially in subjects such as math and science. Reviewing material before tests really do help the students and gives them the chance to ask questions on anything they may not understand. Review after a test on things that more than one student was stumped on is also extremely beneficial. It’s good knowing what you did wrong, so that way you can avoid the same mistake in the future. If I had to choose two character traits of teachers that I find most helpful, useful or inspiring I would choose: 1) One trait that this is most un-useful is when you are giving a presentation and teacher begins telling you that you’ve left something out before you’ve even gotten started. This may be a bad example, but I what I really mean is, it is a very bad trait for a teacher to have low expectations for a student. It definitely does not help with the student’s confidence when it comes to his or work. 2) The second worst character trait teachers is one that is mainly unintentional- favoring students. All teachers do it, even if they believe they aren’t. It’s just something that is annoying for all the students in a class. It’s not something that can really be fixed but I would advise teachers to just be more aware and make more of an effort to make sure that they are treating all of their students equally.

#9 Celebrity

Each and every day celebrities make the news. Their good-doings, but mainly their bad doings are constantly the topic of discussion. We hear about the Lindsay Lohan’s who are in and out of rehab, or the rappers who are going to jail for their bad decisions. It is very rare that the media portrays a celebrity in a good light, and the celebrities that actually do good are very rarely mentioned. When I began sitting down and really focusing on this assignment, I decided to turn on the radio. That’s when P!nk’s newest single came one, “Perfect”. Now, I’m going to be perfectly honest, I absolutely hate her music. It’s just my type, and her songs are always over-played. But when I heard her voice come through my speakers, I realized what a good role model she actually is.

P!nk, or Alicia Moore, is smart, successful, strong, and is not afraid to speak her mind. She isn’t your average promiscuous female celebrity being hounded by the paparazzi because she’s out partying like a wild-child. She’s very rarely, if never, portrayed in the media in a negative light. I suppose, on top of her squeaky clean image, it is her songs that are what really make her a good role model. She doesn’t write about partying (all the time) and being reckless. She writes about things that are REAL. She is a role model and she knows it- she’s lets it show in her songs. She tells girls that it’s ok to not look like all of the Paris Hilton’s or to not act like all the Ke$ha’s. Her message is that there is so much more to life than how people look, or the image they put on for everyone else.

The music video for her recent song, “Perfect”, shows the story of a young girl, who gets put down her whole life. She faces the hardships of wanting to be perfect, so that she can fit into society and be accepted. As she grows up, the hardships she faces get worse and worse. Eventually she resorts to cutting, which is something that is all too common in the lives of teenagers today, both male and female. However, the music video takes a turn. The girl realizes that she is not what everyone else think she is- she is perfect just the way she is. “It may be a simplistic message, but it's an incredibly important one too. No matter how dark things get, they can — and will — get better. It may not happen all at once, but it will happen. And Pink is living proof of that.” (MTV.com) This is the message that thousands of girls need to hear.

I would not want to model my life after her completely. I suppose, I mean that I would like to possess the same qualities she does- strength, brains, success, and the ability to make a difference in the lives of others as she’s done through her music. 

 

Facebook Etiquette

    Facebook is the world's largest social networking website with over 600 million users to date. The website allows for people to communicate with their friends via status updates, sharing videos or photos, notes, and IMing. It's a way for people to catch up with old friends and bridge the gap between those they don't see as often. However, when people post on Facebook, they don't often think of who will/can read it and in return fail to think of the consequences of their actions. No matter how private one sets their Facebook profile, they can never truly be sure of who is viewing their profile or who can see the content of their page.
    The point that I'm trying to get across is that, one's friends probably do not care about the party they went to yesterday or the last stupid thing they did the weekend before. Chances are, they could care less. However, those who do care (future employers, college admission directors, etc.) probably do not want somebody who does those things to work for them/attend their school. People d0 not filter the things they say and post on Facebook enough. As harmless as the social networking site may seem, it's really quite dangerous if one does not use it with caution. For example, I have heard of several stories in which somebody has posted that they were going on a trip when they had called in sick for work- resulting in their being fired. Another example of poor Facebook activity is somebody who will say that there on vacation for the week. Although everyone who is able to see their profile is a "friend", they can never truly be sure. Somebody could easily know their house will be vacant for the week and attempt to break in. 
    The moral of the story is, as one must watch what they say in real life, they must also watch what they say online. Those things will always be there, for anyone to see, and in some cases, use against you.     

Barbie

Is Barbie a good role model for young children? Well, it's true Barbie has gotten a bad rep over the years. She has been made fun of and discriminated mainly because many believe she poses as a bad role model for young girls with her unrealistic body and materialistic image. Sure, some may worry that it will cause young girls to grow up with the mindset of wanting to be skinny, wanting the latest clothes and always searching for their perfect “Ken”, but in reality, that has not been the case. Little girls do not play with Barbies their whole lives, in fact they usually stop at a young age. Barbie is just a toy- how much influence could a toy have over a young child: not as much as parents and other adults are making it out to be. For example, my friends and I would play with dolls when were little, but we're not making it our life goal to look and act like them. And when I was younger, my best friend Hunter played with nerf guns and water guns but that doesn't mean he believes violence or the use of guns is OK. Chances, he and every other young boy (or girl) that's played with a nerf gun won't ever think of shooting someone. Toys do not have as much of an influence over children as people believe. It's arguable, that although Barbies will have a bad reputation in the eyes of some, Barbie is just a doll. In fact, I don't even believe Barbies, or any other action figure/doll, can be considered role models- they don't have as much influence as an actual person would have over young children.

Thank our Troops!

Dear Soldier,

You do not me, nor do I know you. But what I do know is that you are over seas fighting for my life- fighting for the lives of all Americans. Thank you for doing what I and many others could never gather the strength or courage to do. You are a true hero. Though sometimes I take my freedom for granted, I wanted to take the time to say thank you during this holiday season. Stay strong and come home safely. You are in our prayers.

 

Life 101

    Students in high school today are learning subjects based off of a curriculum that was created a decade ago by politicians, parents, and teachers who wanted to better prepare their kids for the real world. However, learning how to figure out the square root of an equation or who the 17th president was isn't exactly going to make students independent and vital contributors to society. What is needed is a sort of Life 101 course, on top of the basic math, science and history curriculum, in order to really prepare young adults for the real world.

    There are some kids who go off to college not even knowing how to do their own laundry, let alone pay a bill or budget their money. It's easy for high school and college students to simply depend on mommy and daddy for everything they need but by the time graduation comes around, they will find themselves struggling just to get by. If a Life 101 course was to be added to high school curriculum, kids would be better prepared not only for college but for their life after. This Life 101 course would teach kids vital things that they are going to need to know in order to begin"the rest of lives".

    This course would have three main parts. The first part would discuss the most important factor of living on your own: finances. In this part, kids would be taught how to budget their money, save their money, balance check books, build good credit, take out loans and pay back student loans from college! This part would include a guest speaker from a bank who could elaborate on all of the above topics.

    The second part of this course would discuss finding a job and an apartment for the first time. The apartment segment would elaborate on things like needing good credit, looking for an apartment that is within your monthly budget and about the importance of renters insurance. The job segment of this part would elaborate on things such as how to impress at an interview, how to keep your job and also how to handle being fired or let go, especially in this economy.

    The third and final part of this course would discuss time management as well the odds and ends of living on your own such as learning to cook for yourself. This final part would include a guest speaker, preferably someone who has been living on their

Texting and IMing

    Texting and IMing has become phenomenon for our generation. Texting could be ranked about as necessary as breathing, eating and sleeping for some teenagers. To be honest, I really don't understand why it is so "necessary". I've heard people they text in the shower, that they send over 100 texts a day, and that they sleep with their phone under their pillow so they can wake up if someone texts them. I think it's kind of sickening that people have to be in constant communication with each other every single second of everyday.

    Based on studies, surveys, and by just simply going to/working in a high school it's obvious how much texting and IMing is a part of everyday life. People text in class constantly, and in result are distracted from what is actually going on in class. However, that is not true for all. People have become so used to texting 24/7 that they really aren't that distracted at all- they multi-task.

    On another note, it is said that texting and IMing and the abbreviations/slang that go along with it are impacting student literacy in a negative way. Teachers have concerns that because students are so used to writing in that slang because of their constant texting, that it's the reason they are making silly grammar mistakes such as bad punctuation and using abbreviations when words should be written out fully. I do think that for some this is true. When ever I proof read peoples papers, I see that they don't know where to put comas, they put run on sentences or even start sentences with "And". However, they were once taught how to write. All of these errors are careless. If people took the time to read over their papers and homework , I'm sure they would pick up these errors themselves. It's not like students are using "lol" or "omg" in their papers.

    I do not think texting or IMing could/should be integrated in the classroom to improve literacy. There's no way to integrate it for the benefit of student literacy. I think that students read enough books, articles and other text in school and outside of school to know how to write properly. If they put "lol", ""u" or "omg" in their papers, that just shows carelessness. It's common sense that that isn't proper writing.