Letter to Senator Jean Preston

Senator Jean Preston

NC Senate
16 W. Jones Street, Room 1121
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808

 

 

Dear Senator Preston,

As a motivated high school student, I admire your push for education reform and I agree that there is a huge shortage of teachers. Something needs to be done to increase the demand for jobs in the education industry, and that seems to be what you’re trying to improve. Great job! I feel that as a student, I know a lot about what makes a good teacher because I know what I want to listen to. The students want a teacher we can relate to; someone that is on the same page as us. Last year you introduced a bill to encourage retired teachers to go back to work, and although it seems like a great idea, it won’t work. Students in the 21^st century need someone who understands technology, came from a similar background and most importantly someone who is interested in them. As much as I love retired teachers, they can no longer provide us with the education we need.

At my high school, we have a lot of retired teachers who work as substitutes. They are all extremely nice people, and I respect them; but I also feel sorry for them. Our learning styles have evolved as a result of new technologies that they can’t understand: and I don’t expect them to understand them. How are they supposed to know how to operate overhead projectors and computers? They were not taught how to educate the modern generation in college. The degrees they received are outdated and shouldn’t be valid no matter how educated they are. Although re-employing them may seem like a quick and easy solution to fixing the teacher shortage, it will do more harm than good.

            Instead of convincing our elders to teach, we should be convincing the younger generation and creating incentives to draw them to the career. It’s the hard work for little pay that deters people from the job. You’ve already passed a bill to increase teacher salaries, which is an excellent way to attract people. But, we need to do more. At my school, there isn’t a program or a course for kids who are interested in teaching. It’s not an advertised career.

Mythbusters Essay

I had to suffer the wrath of David Bunting’s armpit in my face almost every day for an entire semester while he was resting his arm on my head. Sometimes people take advantage of you when you’re short like me. Situations like that don’t make me angry though; I’m used to them as well as the “you’re so little” and “do you need a kid’s menu?” comments. What offends me is when people assume that people of short stature are inferior to taller people. Whether it’s from regular people, scientists, or the media, there is an obvious and for the most part ignored stereotype against short people. My goal is to undermine the common misconceptions about height-challenged people.

Many doctors and parents are giving Artificial Growth Hormones to children of short stature in hope that they will reach a “normal” adult height. Personally, I think this is due to the harsh connotations associated with short adults. Of course I knew you could change almost anything on your body these days, but why would someone give growth hormones to otherwise healthy children? What message does this send to kids about accepting themselves for who they are? I would like to think this is an uncommon situation, but it really isn’t. I come from a short family. My mother is just shy of five feet, and I stand exactly at 5’0”. It’s genetic. Regardless of this, from the time I was born until I was about 6, doctors were concerned that I “wasn’t growing at a normal rate” and may “require some reinforcements”. Luckily, my mother didn’t agree with letting me take growth hormones because she believes being short is completely natural, as do I.

            The problem with growth hormones isn’t that they’re unnatural; it’s that they’re harmful. One of the side effects of taking growth hormones is actually stunted growth. Imagine that. They feed their kids medicine to make them grow; and they do the opposite. There are many other side effects including increased risk of diabetes and colon cancer. It seems to me like taking the growth hormones are not within the interest of the child; but within the interests of the parents and doctors.

            The true question, however, is not about growth hormones. It’s about whether there is really anything wrong with being significantly below the height average. The answer is no. Although there are a number of studies on the correlation between intelligence and height and strength, they are proven to be untrue. Naturally, smaller people have less body strength; but their body mass is similar to that of tall people.

      Since some people are short because of mental delays, there is a relation between height and intelligence but short people who have none of the associated mental conditions perform just as well on IQ tests as anyone else.

Education Essay

            “I Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America,” In school, we recite this every day; however, we don’t know who wrote it or for what purpose it was written. It’s one of these things we just simply do “for our country”. By stating this I am not meaning to sound unpatriotic, I am acknowledging the lack of knowledge we have about the everyday things we do “for our country”. There is a desperate need for participation in American politics. We’ve tried propagandizing campaigns and sugarcoating political speeches as if they were jalapeño flavored doughnuts to increase the amount of American voters. These methods just aren’t working.
            According to the North Carolina graduation requirements, high school students are required to take one U.S. History course and one Civics course. If people aren’t educated about the voting system, they aren’t going to vote. No one wants to make a wrong decision. There are many incentives offered to encourage people to vote; however, only 32% of American adults are showing up at the polls according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Perhaps it’s time to take a new approach: require or at least offer more civics/U.S. history courses in high schools.

            Although funding such a program may be an issue at first, there is no doubt it would be effective. Studies have shown that kids who go to college and kids who are more educated about the voting system are more likely to vote. During my tenure at high school, I’ve taken one civics class and one U.S. History class and I could never picture myself voting with my current knowledge and I got an average of 96! Since I plan on going to college, I’ll probably take some civics classes there; however, those minimal high school courses are the only classes some students will ever take on the subject of voting. How can we expect them to vote if they don’t understand how?

            If you were to offer Civics I and Civics II, like you do with math and English classes, not only would the amount of votes increase, but so would the quality of them. Obviously if people are more educated about who they are voting for, they’re likely to make better decisions about them. How annoying is it when people say things like, “Oooh, I’m voting for Obama, he’s hot!”? We wouldn’t have to hear that anymore because people would be too concerned about who is leading our country to care. When people are knowledgeable about something, they usually feel an obligation utilize it. If this were the case with voting, people would be less likely to abuse their votes.

            But how would we fund it? Of course not everyone would be keen on having their precious tax dollars support such a cause. There are plenty of non-profit, pro-vote organizations that might be willing to help out. I think with the right support and advertisement of this, people would have no problem paying for it. We just have to show that it’s a genuine and effective program. However, I don’t blame people for being skeptical with their taxes, I’m glad people are passionate about what they want to support and what they don’t. This is an example we need to follow. We need to be able to question where our money is going and not just hand it to the government and say, “It’s your job to figure out where it’s going”. Our constitution is built to cater to American citizens, but in order to take advantage of it we need to be able to understand it.

            This issue is not a miniscule one- it affects not only our lives but the lives of every other person in our country. All Americans would benefit from reforming the high school social studies department because it would increase voter turnout at elections and the quality of the votes. We would have much less of a chance of electing a bad leader and a mass of confident, new voters. Since our generation will be leading America one day, it’s important that we’ll know how to do it.

Advertisement Analytical Essay

             You open the front cover of Four-Wheel magazine and BAM!- you see a hot guy, and under him is the word ‘Sandwiched’ in bold letters. At first you question why there is the word sandwiched, but then that questioning leads you to read on. Underneath the word, you read the brief summary of a car crash, in which the guy drives away from- unharmed in his ultra-masculine Ford F-150.

            Through the use of strong pathos, this ad draws the reader in and assures safety in their product. The visuals, of the man and the truck, might make the reader feel on the same level as the man who drove away in the truck because of his scruffy and hard working appearance.

            The sentence structure that Ford uses, reinforces the strength and boldness of the truck. With short and strong sentences, the word choice sends a powerful message. “between a cement mixer and a semi” – this doesn’t make you feel very safe, but this add tells the story of this truck that survived and saved its driver. “he drove himself home” – reinforces his individuality and responsibility; he was the one who bought the Ford, and everyone else, those who didn’t drive away, made a bad decision in car choice.

            “Frame. Frame. Frame”- the structure of the car is the most important part. This statement implies that the only important thing in a car is its frame, its structure, and its strength. It makes Ford seem credible and other car companies weak; they pale in comparison to Ford’s truck frame. “Ours is the strongest.-Gamble in Vegas. –Not in your truck.”

FBLA Speech on Universal Healthcare

Before we begin, I would like to ask that you keep an open mind. Often, advocates of a universal healthcare system are seen as wanting the government to control every aspect of their lives. That is not our intention. We do not want totalitarian control. We want to address the suffering of millions of Americans who can’t afford health insurance.

            The basic necessities of life are food, water, and sleep. The U.S. Government ensures that every citizen receives an adequate amount of these, but what happens when one needs something more? 47 million Americans can’t afford their medical bills. Should we allow them to suffer? The United States has excellent government-run programs for citizens in need. Our poverty rate is among the lowest in the world. However, we are the only industrialized nation that does not provide universal healthcare. Citizens are in charge of paying the rising cost of their health, and for some this is impossible. 18,000 of our country’s citizens die each year for lacking proper medical care.

We all know people who avoid going to the doctor because they can’t afford it. Although it is dangerous, those who have no way to pay for insurance cannot avoid this common situation. The continued decline of our economy will cause the amount of uninsured to skyrocket. Why is our current system failing?

            The American policy of “laisse-faire” economics makes the government unable to interfere with the rates charged by private insurance agencies.  Currently, the availability of healthcare is determined by these agencies. It’s basically a ‘pay or suffer’ situation. However, universal healthcare doesn’t have to be completely controlled by the government. If America provided insurance in the form of welfare to people who can’t afford the private rates, the private agencies would be forced to charge less for insurance to compete with the government’s price. In addition, the current system would not undergo a complete change which would ensure minimal confusion and less room for error. Universal healthcare is not what some depict it to be.

            Many people imagine crowded waiting rooms and a flawed, abused, system. This misconception is understood; however, it is not entirely true. There are many different forms of universal healthcare, but when the concept is mentioned, many people only think of one type: where the government controls all aspects of the healthcare system. This type of system would probably not work in the United States, but it would be unreasonable to rule out the other forms of Universal Healthcare. We need to keep in mind the flexibility of the term ‘universal’.

Creating a more universal system would be the best solution to our epidemic of uninsured citizens. Not only would it provide a service, but it would encourage people to take care of themselves, improving the overall quality of life. Canadians, who operate a universal healthcare system, enjoy an average lifespan 2 years longer than Americans.

 It is only way we can help set the ridiculous costs of healthcare in America. It may cause taxes to rise at first, but in the long run, it will be less expensive than the current system because we would pay less for our own health insurance. Not to mention, it would be extremely beneficial. It is our responsibility to vote in favor of creating a safer, happier, healthier America that provides liberty, justice, and reasonable healthcare for all!

Synthesis Essay

             Global warming is a touchy issue in the world today. People are either sporting attire marked with the words “Go Green” or skeptically questioning the issue. The world’s leaders need to consider the economy, environment, and most importantly, public opinion when making policies that may affect global warming.

            As stated in source E, “global warming is an issue of […] global economics. Whether it has to do with installing a new form of mass public transportation or offering healthier choices at a restaurant (producing junk food emits more greenhouse gasses), fighting against global warming costs money. While some feel the money needs to be spent, others fear the fall of an economy due to the seemingly unnecessary costs associated with global warming.  It is the leader’s responsibility to decide if their country can handle the price of protecting the planet.

            Another priority of leaders should be the environment itself. The visible changes of global warming are perhaps the scariest. An ecologist at Stanford’s Center for Environmental Science and Policy states that “some species are going to be changing” (Source F). Citizens need to be aware that if global warming is occurring, humans aren’t the only species it’s affecting. Politicians and scientists should raise awareness of the impact of global warming on nature.

            As stated in The Nature Conservancy, a quarterly magazine focused on environmental awareness, “[the] protection and restoration of forests may be able to offset up to 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 50 years” (Source A). However, in the area I live, I see large quantities of trees being cut down almost daily. Also there are tons of new housing developments and businesses being built all over the United States. Small communities are growing into larger ones and the demand for lumber and land is drastically increasing. While expanding communities may help reduce greenhouse gasses in a transportation aspect, the amount of lumber used and trees cut down should also be considered when making the decision to build.

            Leaders also need to be aware of the public opinion about global warming. In a democratic government, decisions should be based on the majority. Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, was widely criticized by skeptics. However, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and his film widely inspired people to be more involved with the environment. The film didn’t impress some people, but the majority of the people were driven by it due to his careful consideration of the audience.

            Leaders cannot ignore the issue of global warming. With the right approach, considering the economy, environment, and public opinion, they can create a positive effect. Addressing the issue from any side will gain the attention of citizens and increase awareness of global warming whether it’s viewed critically or not. It will make an impact on the entire world.

Improvement

    Before I came to English III, my writing was horrible. I was looking for my comparison essay on my computer the other day when I stumbled upon a book report I wrote for Mr. Slater’s class last year on Catcher In The Rye. Surprisingly, It was one of the best papers I had written at the time but looking back on it I realize it was terribly written compared to what I write now.

“Catcher in the Rye  by J.D. Salinger is the tale of a troubled 17 year old boy. The boy, Holden Caulfield, attends Pencey Prep until he is thrown out for failure to apply himself and bad grades. He is forced to leave his dormitory instantly but does not want to return home immediately because he is afraid his parents won’t have enough time to simmer down from their anger of him being expelled.  So, he decides to take a “vacation”.  He rents a cheap hotel room in New York City and lives in it before he can return home. While he is staying in the hotel he runs into some trouble. He goes into a deep, nervous, depression and displays some extremely anti-social behaviors. He hires a prostitute and stays locked-up in his hotel room most of the time just thinking about his life only coming out to go to bars, until one night he decides to sneak into his parents apartment and visit his sister, Phoebe, whom he loves very much. He arrives to find that his parents are out of the house until later that night because they were attending a party but he gets nervous and makes a quick escape. He then goes to his former teacher, Mr. Antolini’s house where he decides to spend the night. But, he wakes up around 1 AM to find Mr. Antolini petting his head. Holden thinks that Mr. Antolini was trying to do homosexual things to him so he jolts up and leaves the house. He then goes and sleeps on a bench in Central Park where he is more depressed than ever. He decides to move out west and get a job pumping gas or flipping burgers, and then has a mental breakdown. It is unclear what happened during the breakdown because this is where he stops telling his story.  He does, however, say that he is now in a sanatorium and will return to school next September.

     Throughout the story, Holden mentions the theme of “phonies”. A phony is someone who is fake and does not speak their mind. Towards the end of the story, Holden is referring to almost anyone as phonies or is accusing people of using “phony” behavior because it helps him feel better about his depression.

     In the book, it says that Holden alienates himself from society because he doesn’t belong there. But, as I read the story I concluded that the real reason of Holden’s alienation was because he wanted  to prove to himself that he is better than everyone else.  Interaction with people confuses him so he protects himself by not talking to others often.  But, the alienation is actually what is causing his pain in the first place.

     I would recommend The Catcher in the Rye to anyone who feels they are an outcast. It will really open your eyes to what really happens when you try to alienate yourself from the world and will help you get to know yourself better.”

Based on this example, it’s obvious how much my writing has improved within the past year, and I’m proud!

Revision Analysis

I got a decent grade on my original essay, so I just assumed it was well written. Re-reading it after all this time has led me to realize it was a nightmare.  There was no hook, the punctuation was out of place, and I didn’t explain my points. Aside from that, it was messy and difficult to read. After making a few changes, I’d have to say that it’s become a pretty decent essay.

I rewrote the entire first paragraph to make my thesis clearer and to add an exciting hook. Now, instead of thinking this essay is going to be a boring summary of an ordinary political movement, the reader is excited to hear about a revolutionary group of reformers. This huge difference was made just by changing the first sentence. By stating the essay is going to be about Hemingway’s life in the first paragraph (which I failed to do before), the reader knows why I start going off on a tangent about Hemingway’s childhood. It eliminates a ton of confusion.

Besides eliminating some useless deadwood, I didn’t need to make many changes to the body paragraphs. However, my conclusion was the worst part of the entire essay. I have an annoying habit of separating paragraphs too early, which caused there to be 3 conclusion paragraphs containing 4 or less sentences in this essay. Because there were so many, I couldn’t figure out where my conclusion started. I merged the paragraphs together and threw in some coordinating conjunctions to make it “flow”. The essay was so much easier to understand.

I’ve learned to pay more attention to what I’m writing through revising this essay. I had some great points but I couldn’t get them across to the reader because my paper was disorganized and had no personality. It’s amazing what adding a hook and merging paragraphs can do!

Earnest Hemingway Biography Essay: Revised

A flawed society is often blessed with critics who are unsatisfied and determined to change it. Earnest Hemingway: a leader of the modernism movement and the author of A Farewell To Arms was active in his fight for reform. Watching the biographical documentary has allowed me to better understand his attraction to the modernist movement through learning about events that took place earlier in his life.

As a child, Hemingway lived in a quiet, wealthy part of town. His parents valued self-expression and his mother was a musician. He was exposed to creativity at a young age. The modernists also valued self-expression and creativity; therefore its motives were familiar to Hemingway.

He also grew up in a period of significant industrial, economic, and political change, which may have triggered his teenage rebellion. Instead of attending college like his father whom he had a decent relationship with, Hemingway decided to move to Kansas and write. This caused his relationship with his unhappy father to drastically decline; however, it showed his courage to gravitate from the norm.

He later joined the Italian army as an ambulance worker which exposed him to European culture. His adoration for Europe later inspired him to move to Paris where he wrote and met people involved with the modernist movement such as Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. These people admired his unique writing style and he befriended them. His exposure to them strengthened his ties to modernism, causing him to be involved in the movement as well.

Before watching the documentary, I had no idea how closely related the contributors to the modernist movement were. Now I think of the movement as more of a social trend than before because Gertrude Stein, Earnest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and Pablo Picasso all actually lived in Paris and were close friends with each other.

Also, I understand how the prominent industrial changes helped spark the movement. New inventions such as the car significantly changed the way we communicate; it became much faster to reach someone. People’s perspectives broadened and people suddenly found new ways of seeing and doing things. Specifically, the modernists saw a new way of looking at art that requires thinking about images. Watching the documentary allowed me to better understand modernism by learning about the life of Earnest Hemingway and the history of the time period.

Earnest Hemingway Biography Essay: Original

ways of seeing or doing things. Specifically, the modernists basically saw a new way of looking at art.

Therefore, watching the documentary allowed me to better understand modernism by looking at the life of Earnest Hemingway and the history of the time period.

(I had to type the second page of this essay because the scanner wouldn’t pick it up)