How Much?

Grades can be overwhelming, stressful, and often incredibly draining. It just goes to show how vital grades can be and the extent that it affects a student's life. Yet, grades definitely don't always represent the person's mastery or intelligence on a certain subject. Grades are comprised of many different assignments, tests, projects, and quizzes and how much they are worth depends on the class. Every class is different and how much each category is worth totally depends on the teacher. With that in mind, what is the ideal ratio or weight of the categories that comprise students' grades?

Always looming over students are tests. In most classes, tests make up a gigantic chunk of our grades and is where much of our stress originates from. Tests and assessments rightfully are worth much more of a grade. However, they should not in any way be worth so much that one's grade reflects on tests alone. 

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/

In some classes, tests are worth 50% of a grade. This can be both positive and negative for a student. Learning wise, it requires the student to understand the material of the test much more. Some students that slack off on class work but actually comprehend the lessons can benefit from the test saving their grade. The problem with this though, is that it does not advocate great work ethic and may make some students lazy. This greatly contrasts to what they would be facing in the workplace and future. 

Such a high portion of one's grade consisting of a test score can be hazardous to student as well. Often, missing a single question on the test could translate to an entire percentage lost on one's entire grade. Tests don't always represent a student's skill set and can fluctuate by a number of different factors. Even if students prep for tests, sometimes mental errors can lead to costly mistakes that are difficult to make up later on. Perhaps the student studied so much the night before that they are completely drained the morning of the assessment. This spells doom for the student. 

Tests must also not weigh too little, otherwise students would not study. All things considered, what is most essential is a balance to be present in student grades. Test are vital but they shouldn't constitute the entirety of a grade. Some classes run the danger of falling into this and can be dangerous for students many ways.

 

  

Year Round or Traditional School Year Calendar?

Most schools across our country have a traditional school year calendar that constitutes a long summer break with shorter breaks throughout the school year. In a year round calendar, schools instead have a shorter summer vacation with longer winter and spring breaks. According to an article written by Grace Chen on http://www.publicschoolreview.com,  it seems that most schools opt to stay with the traditional school year calendar that was created originally so that students could help their parents grow crops during the summer. Yes, that was a thing of that past that our modern society doesn't need any more. Yet, why do we still stick with this traditional calendar if it doesn't conform to the needs of our world today?

Both the year round calendar and the traditional school year calendar have their advantages and disadvantages. Our high school, MMHS, as well as most others around this area have a traditional calendar that cuts winter break and Thanksgiving break a bit short. I, and most students, would probably favor for our current Thanksgiving break to a bit longer. Yet, if it were to be extended, many students could begin to forget the things that they learned at the beginning of the year prior to break. This could lead to problems at the end of the year when students may need to recall knowledge that could have been lost through a longer break. Although the traditional year has shorter breaks throughout the year, it allows for students to easily readjust and get back into the curriculum at school. The great aspect about this calendar is that summer break is longer, which means more relaxing and other extracurricular activities or volunteering. The main problem with a long summer break is that it may make it more difficult for students to retain knowledge from the prior year that they need for the next.      

In elementary school, I was able to experience a year round school calendar and I actually enjoyed it much more than the traditional year. Although I had less of a summer break, I enjoyed much longer breaks in between the school year. It usually gives students the rest that they need in between the hefty schoolwork throughout the year and allows for more energy to learn more efficiently when they come back. The shorter summer vacation is dreadfully disappointing but it makes it more difficult to forget prior learning. 

When it comes down to it, the decision is based on a trade off of benefits and problems with each.  It eventually leads to a weighing in on which carries the higher ratio of pro to con. Which calendar do you prefer?

Eyeing the World

The world around us is often a source of vivid color, demonstrating that it is superior in beauty. The bright,vast sky, the sparkling blue oceans, and the luscious green of nature are things we may treasure. Yet, what if these were not as detailed and bright? What if they weren't as clear as they should be? Our eyes allow us to see the beauty around us with the utmost clarity. Unfortunately, for a growing number of people, this does not always hold true. Eyesight is not an eternal human trait and for many, it can deteriorate rather soon. When eyesight gets worse, the beauty that we once see may become a blur of color. The details a person may have seen before may lose most, if not all of its value. 

Thankfully, there are many modern day eye correction solutions that may fix this blur. Glasses are one of the quickest and most efficient solutions. Although this is a solution, it is never the same as having 20/20 vision. Depending on a set of lenses to see things clearly does not fully allow for a firm grasp of the full beauty in our surroundings. The worse the eyesight, the stronger the prescription needed to fill the void that bad eyesight can leave in one's life.

I see an increasing number of people depend on glasses, contacts, or laser correction to view things clearly. In many ways, this is attributed to the growing, often unhealthy, usage of technology nowadays. People have begun to spend more time in front of their computer screens than interacting with others. This is a great problem that the new generations now face. Yet, whether for entertainment or work related, technology can drain us of our eyesight.

Some people are lucky to be gifted with naturally good eyesight. No matter how long they are staring at a screen or straining their eyes, they will see just as clearly the next day. However, this does not last forever. You only get one pair of eyes in your life and you need them to last as long as they can. As a person with atrocious eyesight myself, I treasure what I am able to see with my eyes. I began to wear glasses in the third grade and it was something that I never wanted. Although I needed it, I always felt that having glasses constantly got in the way. Yet, as bad as that was, I felt even worse when even with glasses on, I could not see well. This meant my eyes had gotten worse. This cycle of getting new glasses and eventually it becoming too weak for my eyes reoccurred for the next few years. It is still a problem now. 

With such bad eyesight myself, I feel that maintaining one's eyesight is that much more important. People that do require glasses must especially be wary of their eye health and rest their eyes when tired. This goes for everybody. You should limit unnecessary strain on your eyes and protect it while you can. The clarity of the world around us only lasts for so long before it is gone forever.

http://janinejust.com/2013/10/11/color-me-happy/

Community Post #1 Response

Reading the article, "Exposing Hidden Bias at Google" by Farhad Manjoo, has gifted me with a different perspective of gender roles in our modern day society. Women, just like men, are born with the same intellectual capacity to be successful and any limitations setting a woman for failure would be a grave, unjust violation to them. As noted in this article, the general figures in society currently judge and make partially bias decisions without the true intent to harm. Yet, our society will always find a way to bring this bias into reality because of the past conceived assumptions regarding gender and race. Still, the subjugation of women is still a pressing topic everyone must attempt to resolve. Google has tried to repent for their mistakes by holding workshops that introduce aspects of a more gender and racially diverse workplace. I believe this is a beneficial step that our society is taking towards a partial, equal environment for everybody but it is only the beginning.

Statistics in this article written by Manjoo have vividly depicted an uneven representation of both gender and race. This is undeniably true but what factors truly lead to this bane? Do women lack such roles due to nonjudicial opportunities or because of their shortcomings in the standards necessary? I consider this to be attributed to women's roles in the past and their transition to our society today. Not too long ago, women had a lesser role in our society. The transition to an era where women have high positions in our country have not been yet implemented to its fullest. Due to this, women don't always have the mindset to strive for the top positions in companies because of the intimidation companies with mostly men ensue. So, women should be able to aim for success without the fear of being evaluated because of their gender.

Most tech companies have a higher ratio of men to women in the workforce and this can also be associated with a matter of career choice. Typically, men may seek positions in tech companies purely out of a greater interest. The conformity of the high male representation in this industry is also a deciding factor for career choice of both genders. The lower percentage of women in these companies may make women generally feel out of place. However, if women desire to do this field of work, they should never be denied the right to do so. One must be judged on their actions and decisions and not by appearance, race, or gender.

The concept of unconscious bias towards women can also affect how young minds think. They must know that it is not a just aspect in our current world and that change is essential. With attempts such as Google and tech corporations are making, the essence of equal opportunity for everyone might be reached sooner.