The Rider Chronicle » Opinion

Text talk popping up in class assignments causes teachers to fear for students’ future careers

Ashleigh Robinson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:50:03 +0000

Lower case i’s, numbers for words, partial words instead of full words, fragments. All are seen in papers turned in as final copies. Teachers say the texting generation can’t spell, and that’s a problem.
Freshman English teacher Heather Preston fears “that students will continue to use text speak in college and careers.” She believes that using the slang will be damaging to not only a student’s college experience, but to their future careers as well.
By using text slang in papers, students are hurting their grades. English teachers check papers for good writing habits. These habits stem to proper sentence structure, grammar use, and conventions.
“In English, we have to grade for grammar and conventions,” Preston said. “By using text speak, such as not capitalizing ‘I’, students show either lack of knowledge or lack of regard for grammar and conventions.”
With freshman classes, Preston has seen a fair share of papers with text slang in them. The usage of the slang has Preston wondering if the slang is “there on purpose, or if a student is so used to texting that it slips in.”
If using slang turns into a habit, it becomes a question whether it is just laziness or if it has become second nature. Preston believes it depends on the student.
“When slang is throughout the entire paper, I either attribute it to laziness or apathy,” Preston said. She said she usually attributes slang use to habit if it’s simply used as an odd word here or there.
Junior and senior English teacher Katy Katz “used to get that a lot from juniors.” She believes that when you’re typing on the computer, “you have a tendency to do the texting thing.”
“The effect of technology is having an effect on sentence quality,” Katz said. “You’ll see the ‘u r’ pop up a lot.”
Both teachers agree that it’s important to get in the habit of using proper grammar not only in high school, but also later in life.
“I expect all my students to be thinking about their future in college,” Preston said. “I try to let them know that forming good writing habits now will only help them in the future.”

Student grows closer to mother after realizing hurtfulness of words, accepting differences

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:21:41 +0000

I sat in the hard yellow chair, working on the long packet presented by the teacher, my hand cramping, listening to the quiet chatter of the students in front, behind, beside me. I could only faintly make out the words, not really paying attention. Then I heard it. The sharp words pierced my body and I was stuck just standing there, shocked, while it was slowly fell off. It was a personal attack. GAY.
Flashback: I remember saying it, “That’s gay!” to my mom. She looked down with pain in her eyes and then she looked up at me. “What does that mean?” I was stumped. It was obvious right? “It’s dumb!” The words were out before I could stop them. They hurt me because they hurt her, my own mother, my best friend, the person who loved me unconditionally. My mother is a lesbian and I called her dumb. I couldn’t believe I said it. But I now understood.
It wasn’t right when I said it, and it wasn’t right when I heard it. Every time I hear those brutal words, it is a personal attack on my family and me. People use those words in everyday conversation like it’s nothing. And they don’t even know. They don’t know me; they don’t know the pain they cause others because I guarantee you, I’m not the only one, and really it’s not only the one word.
Stop. Think. If your words hurt, they are not okay. This is about respect: respecting each other, respecting each other’s feelings. Every day someone is hurt by words. There is an easy solution. Think before you speak, think about the people around you, think about how you would feel if someone said something derogatory about you.
Flashback: I slowly walked into the living room, where my mother was sitting watching television. I crept in and sat down beside her, hugged her and said, “I love you for being my mother, and I don’t think you’re dumb. Never again will I use those words.”

Technology, homework do not go together

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:20:50 +0000

There is no such thing as “Multitasking.”
That is, there is no such thing as being able to multitask efficiently. While you try to take care of two to four things at a time you are most always sacrificing quality for quantity.
Students who take the effort to focus on just one assignment at a time have more success than those who try to focus on two or more things. They even often times take more time to complete whatever work they’re doing compared to the student with a singular focus.
In the time it took me to finish these first three paragraphs, for example, I could have written six because I’m sitting on my couch, watching HGTV, eating Cheeze-Its and texting.
Multitasking can take up valuable time that should be used to finish work. Basically, it is just a form of procrastination.
Trying to complete two assignments for school at the same time is another story. Have you ever tried to write a term theme and study for a big test you had the next day at the same time because you waited too long to start your homework? It’s possible because you tried focusing on two things at once that you might not do as well as you had hoped on that test or you forgot a crucial aspect that you needed in your term theme.
You can’t mix leisure with work and expect an A+ either. Checking Facebook while doing your homework can lengthen the amount of time it takes to finish or even lessen your understanding of learning material. That’s why we can’t use cell phones in class, besides the fact that they could be used to cheat, they are distracting.
As popular as multitasking is, students should really think twice before using it as a means to get things done.

With time, practice, support, students will learn ways to multi-task efficiently, beneficially

EmmaWhite — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:19:44 +0000

Modern technology is a part of modern life. There isn’t anything more obvious than that fact. When teachers and students are saying that it isn’t okay to multitask with homework and iPhones, they are putting a stopper in the bottle of progress.
It isn’t the kind of progress that has to do with 3D and 3G, but the progress of the mind. For years and years technology has been advancing and with it the modern perception of that progress. There was a time when people were saying that “everything worth being invented has been invented.” This was a time right before the minds of Wilbur and Orville Wright started budding blooms. (At least, that’s what they were saying in Around the World in 80 Days.) Obviously that wasn’t true. The minds of the people of the 1800s would probably explode if they set foot in the world of today. Why is that? Their minds haven’t progressed to the level of today’s technology.
Phones aren’t going away. Facebook, the Internet, movies are an indispensable part of today’s culture. The job of the people is to be able to work well and work with the technology that we have present. Not only should it be okay for students to multitask, it should be encouraged. We are the generation that will be dealing with the futuristic technology portrayed in movies. When we are adults, that will be our reality, and if we can’t text and do homework at the same time, then the future technology is going to overpower us. It is so important, because of the growing acceptability of the wild-fire communication we have, that we as students hone the skill of a multitasking focus.
Right now, students’ test scores are lower because of multitasking. Students are tired because they spent so long trying to do two things at once. That’s true. How many people can play the cello like Yo-Yo Ma the first time they pick up an instrument? The answer: no one can. And they never will play like Yo-Yo Ma if they don’t practice. Gaining a multitask focus is something that our generation has to practice at, and perfect. Teachers are always talking about the short attention span of students. We have to get in front of some sort of digital screen or we will fall apart. The reason is that because we have been born into a generation of such technological development, our minds have been conformed to the ability of doing two things at once. The generation before us discouraged multitasking because they have been left out of the loop. They don’t seem to realize how wired we are to partake in the revolution of multitasking.
There is, of course, an appropriate time and place for multitasking because we haven’t mastered it yet. At home? Yes. At church and such single-focus places? No. In the classroom? Maybe. Having such a distraction at our fingertips is extremely tempting. Many people give into that temptation. It comes down to whether or not we have respect for the wishes of our teachers. If they are okay with the use of cell phones in their classroom that is a personal choice. If not, we have to respect that decision.
It’s time for us to recognize the evolution of the acceptability of a multitasking mind. We need to decide as a society whether we are going to support that evolution or suppress it.

Too short for school: Cheer skirts call for compromise

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:11:04 +0000

While students are kneeling, their skirts or shorts must be six inches from the floor. Want an exception to this rule? Be a cheerleader. If the dress code is going to stay the way it is, then it needs to be enforced for all students with no exceptions.
The dress code is said to be in place to protect the students, but every week the cheerleaders get a break from this protection. However, the dress code is not just for protection. It also cuts down on students being distracted. When students come to class out of dress code, other students notice. Not just because they can see areas of a person that should not be shown, but also because that student has not been asked to change clothes. Most students feel that if they were not abiding by the dress code, they would get in trouble; they feel the school’s enforcement of the dress code or lack thereof is simple discrimination. They’re right.
No other sporting teams wear their uniforms to school, so cheerleaders shouldn’t either. There is an appropriate place for every dress, and theirs is not at school. The cheer uniform should be reserved for pep rallies and football games, nowhere else. If cheerleaders are allowed to defy the dress code, then every student should be allowed to on game days.
A small change would be for cheerleaders to wear their windbreaker outfits or leggings so their uniform fits within the dress code. That way students can still tell who belongs to the cheerleading squad. This small change would be a leap in the right direction.

You can hate him, but he’s still getting paper

Ashleigh Robinson — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:55:47 +0000

Feb. 9, 2009. A text message from my cousin comes in. In it, she asks me if I’ve heard the latest news on Chris Brown and Rihanna. I was fresh out of a long day at school, feeling exhausted as I sat on the couch. I had no clue what she was talking about while I stared at the phone curiously, so I asked her. When she sent a text back, I nearly dropped my phone in horror. Chris had hit Rihanna and the damage was bad. My face froze as I stared at the message. Was this real? She had to be kidding. The Chris I had loved since 2005 couldn’t have possibly laid his hands on Rihanna violently. I refused to believe it.
My cousin said it was all over the news, and when I turned on the TV and pulled up the Internet, it was. There were terrible images of Rihanna floating around with a face bruised red, as well as a harsh looking busted lip. My eyes watered upon seeing her face.
Coincidentally, I was a huge Rihanna fan. When the two of them began to date, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Two of my favorite artists were a pair. Together they could make amazing music and become a powerful musical super couple.
The media began to paint Chris as a monster as the days droned on, and if I saw anything related to the situation, I ignored it.
Chris and Rihanna both grew up in abusive homes. No one knows what happened in that car besides those two. Even before that fateful night, the two of them could have battled before.
I didn’t overlook the fact that what happened was wrong, but my opinion on Chris and Rihanna didn’t change. I didn’t stop listening to their music. I didn’t stop being a fan.
Chris and Rihanna are both human, but society and the media place them on a pedestal that almost takes their humanity away from them.
Domestic violence against men is just as likely to occur with men as it is with women. Rihanna’s injuries were visible, but who’s to say Chris also wasn’t hurt physically?
After the incident, Chris released his third album Graffiti in which he lyrically expressed his sorrows regarding the situation.
In the remorseful song “Fallin Down” Chris sings, “Can you imagine the weight of a world placed on your shoulders, trapped in this world.” Later he sings, “Why is it so easy for you to blame? I’m only human, we’re all the same. I’ve given up everything in exchange for being alone.”
Chris also released a video to his song “Crawl”, where he is haunted by a famous ex-girlfriend, believed to model Rihanna, that always appears on TV and the red carpet. The video also shows how after the incident, the public turned away from Chris.
Two years after the incident, some people still aren’t willing to forgive Chris for his actions.
Negative outside opinions on what happened between the two are completely irrelevant and will remain that way. Those who can’t let themselves forgive Chris are simply wasting their time.
Chris is still selling albums, pushing out platinum singles, and succeeding at everything he does. It’s a waste of time to focus hate on someone who could care less about a hater’s opinion.
There aren’t too many people out there who care about someone’s negative views of Chris because his fans have forgiven him and as long as he has their support, as well as his family’s, no one else matters. The people that still care for some odd reason that Chris hit Rihanna are senseless.
Those people should put themselves in Chris’s shoes and see if they could handle all the negativity that has been thrown his way. Unlike Chris, I’m sure these people would crack under pressure.
For the people who can’t let the past stay in the past, why does it matter? What does the situation between the two of them have to do with you? Were you there? Did Chris hit you? Were you immediately affected by the incident?
I’ll never forget what happened, and I’ll never let it slide, but I will also never stop supporting Chris. In October, I’ll be going to the FAME Tour, which is Chris’s fourth headline tour. There are some people out there who think it’s ridiculous to support Chris and pay $100 to see him live, but to that I say it’s ridiculous to dwell on something that happened in the past, especially when it didn’t concern you.
Chris has paid his dues. He’s been under the scrutiny of the public eye, and sometimes he still is, but it’s time to let it go. While people sit around hating on Chris, there are 300,000 children at risk of dying in Somalia. There are people dying every day from deadly cancers. Someone right now at this very moment was just gunned down. And yet, the focus is still something that happened with Chris Brown two years ago.
It’s undeniable that Chris is one of the best artists out there, and he’s already a living legend. People can hate as much as they wish to, but it’s not going to stop the fact that Chris is an amazing artist, dancer, and all around person. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Chris is still sitting at the top of the game right now, and his reign will only grow from here.

October Crossfire Con: Change needed for excess of 5.0 classes

adviser — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:21:36 +0000

Various schools throughout Texas have moved to a grading scale where only four AP classes count toward extra grade points. This system is a good model of what our schools should move toward.
If this type of system were put in place, the “GPA race” would be more than just scheduling and figuring out which classes are going to boost your grade. The top 10 will still be the same kids who always make those top grades, but there will also be room for exploration of other classes if students so desire. The kids who say they are taking extra AP classes to benefit from them in college will still be able to take those classes and benefit from them, just without an extra grade point for more than four APs.
Sure GPA is about choices, but the choices GPA should be about shouldn’t be refined from the question “Am I going to give up a passion of photography or basketball for extra AP classes?” The choices should be centered on whether or not you study, not whether or not you give up something you love in order to earn a higher GPA.
While grades are important, they are not everything. A 4.28 is really not that big of a difference from a 4.67 in the big picture. Does that mean be lazy and give up assignments? No. Does it mean give up on studying? No. But you can’t tear yourself up over a number and a comparison to classmates. Grades don’t necessarily show how much a student knows or how hard they’ve worked to get the grade they have. High GPA is due 50 percent to planning out a schedule of GPA boosting classes and 50 percent to the grades made in those classes.
The argument that GPA is good because it gives students competitiveness and builds their work ethic which can be taken into a work place is an invalid argument. There are plenty of students who work really hard, but no matter what they do, their grades will never be even close to that of the valedictorian. Now, I’m not saying that these people should be valedictorian, but what I am saying is those kids have the work ethic without the GPA race. They know what it is to struggle, they’ve had to work as hard as they can at everything in school…and they’ve overcome. That is going to be a more beneficial life skill to them in a work place than giving the Valedictorian speech. GPA builds competitiveness? Sure it does. But so does football and basketball and all the other sports. GPA builds work ethic? Sure it does. But making B’s when you’re a C student builds work ethic more than a student who is and always has been an A student and never has to study. GPA doesn’t really build leadership. Being elected FFA president? That builds leadership. Being in charge of a newspaper staff? That builds leadership. Being in the top 10 is a huge honor and I am in no way trying to undermine the work those top students put into getting where they are because I know they have worked hard. What I am saying is that GPA is not everything. It’s a game that students get caught up in.
If the grade system is changed to where only four classes count as 5.0′s, then students have the opportunity to be more well rounded while still being rewarded for their high grades. They can explore things that they’ve never tried before: cooking, photography, journalism, soccer, acting, art, choir, guitar…you never know if a class that you take in high school may lead you to a new passion. For me it did. And if all you take is AP classes to reach that GPA, you may miss out on reaching and pursuing that passion.

October Crossfire Pro: Students deserve point, leave 5.0 alone

KylerNorman — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:19:51 +0000

Some people say the GPA system needs to be changed from the current system which allows every AP class taken to count as a 5.0 to a new system that would only allow four classes to count as 5.0′s. It is a fact that the current system is fine as is.
One may argue that a person shouldn’t be hurt gradewise for doing an extra-curricular activity; however, a person who’s taking more than four AP classes most definitely should be awarded the extra grade points.
Currently AP and pre-AP classes count five points whereas most extra-curricular classes count four points. The students in multiple AP classes make a choice that they want to be the top of their class even if it means they can’t be involved in many extra-curricular activities. The students who are involved in many extra-curricular activites make a choice that they are going to be more well-rounded students rather than being at the top of their class. Everyone has to make important choices in life. You can’t be a touring musician and be a full-time employee at a business. They contradict each other.
Some students think that they can’t be involved in extra-curriculars without it hurting their GPA, but students can actually be involved in many extra-curriculars that won’t take away from their AP classes’ GPA boost. Besides, there are numerous extra-curricular activities that aren’t connected to school at all like the Wichita Theatre and Pink Darlings.
If the “GPA race” is eliminated, then students won’t have the motivation to have the best grades they possibly can. Students would only focus on four of their classes instead of pushing themselves to have the best grades they can get in all of their classes. Students’ grades will drop and they will suffer for it in college because they won’t be used to studying vigorously in all of their classes.
Students need to learn to make choices and the current system needs to stand as is.

Deadline Changes Perception of Time

adviser — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:44:54 +0000

Senior year, we go to school and take it all in…trying to capture the memories and take nothing for granted, I mean it’s the last year of high school right? But what if it were your last year alive? What if your classmate, the one you just called out for asking a “stupid” question, was burying a secret so heavy, that his therapist couldn’t even help him? That if the student next to you knew he was going to die in less than a year and decided to tell no one. Not even his parents.
In Chris Crutcher’s Deadline, senior Ben Wolf discovers that he has a terminal illness at his routine sports physical. Ben decides against telling anyone, including his parents, in an effort to live his last year as a “normal” teenager. Since Ben is 18, the doctor must comply. The book from that point leads the reader’s mind on a quest of questions. ‘What would I do if I were in Ben’s position?’ ‘What if someone I know was going through the same thing?’
Ben decides that in his last year, he is going to do something that matters.
He spends more time with people he that would have usually looked by. He asks out the girl he was terrified to speak to. He searches for the story in people instead of imposing judgement. And he questions everything shamelessly in an effort to understand.
Crutcher subtly guides the reader to take a look at his or her own life. Readers challenge themselves with thoughts such as ‘What am I doing that really matters in the big picture?’ ‘What changes would I make if I knew it was my last year?’
While not a complex literary novel, Crutcher’s Deadline broadcasts his message to readers in a compelling and relatable way that pushes the reader to understand that there truly is more to life than just living.

Deadline can be found in Rider’s library. To access the book trailer, visit this link: http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=204232&title=DEADLINE__by_Chris_Crutcher

eBooks catching up to bound books in race to top

EmmaWhite — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:03:42 +0000

It’s everywhere. It’s on an airplane. It’s in a camping tent. It’s at home and hotel. It’s at school. The sleek device that whispers stories of fiction and non-fiction through its glossy screen. With the single motion of a finger, a page has been turned. No more losing your place, no more licking fingers to get a grip on that stubborn page. It’s the Kindle.

Technology is rapidly advancing. From phones, computers, and TVs to news broadcasting, radio, and now books. The world is swarming around this revolution.

Some people welcome this change while others cling to the spine bound books.

“A lot of die-hard’s just want that book in their hands,” librarian Sally George Mroczkowski said. “They love books, they want to feel books.”

With screens replacing paper and books, it is possible that many revolutionary and historically important things like libraries, the printing press and journals will soon become obsolete. However, the Kindle does have advantages.

“[With a Kindle, you] have access to countless, thousands of books at a time. If you were going on a trip and you wanted to take more than one book it would become cumbersome,” said Mroczkowski. “So one advantage of it is the ease of carrying.”

And with its advantages come also its disadvantages. One disadvantage is expense. The fact that one must first buy the Kindle of their preference, and then pay for each book is a turn-off for some people.

“I’ve downloaded a few books, but to get the books I want I can just go to the library and check those out,” Mroczkowski said.

The cost of electronic readers is also a limiting factor of improving the education system.

“The expense involved in kids having Kindles is just one of the huge obstacles, [but] once everything converts, textbooks [will] convert. It just it can’t be financed right now,” said Mroczkowski.

While Kindles are a popular choice, it is just one of many electronic books out on the market.

“There’s Kindle versus Nook [and] different eBooks, but there is no universal format yet,” said Mroczkowski.

Other electronic books include the iPad and Playaway digital audio books.

Whatever the preference of the reader–paper books or various electronic books–there is a common theme that still unites readers all over the world.

“The main use of a book is just to share thoughts and ideas and feelings,” Mroczkowski said. “And whether you read that on a Kindle or whether you read that in a book, literacy is for all.”