The Barbie Doll Image

　
Eilene Zimmer’s well-versed article in Psychology Today, “Teen Angst Turns Deadly ,” informed readers about the pressures teenage girls go through every day and how suicide rates are increasing among young girls. Whether it’s in glossy magazines, on TV or even in toys, like Barbie Dolls. Skinny, beautiful women are everywhere. Zimmer’s research shows that in 2004 suicide rates rose 76 percent among girls ranging from 10 to 14 years old. The suicide rates for girls 15 to 18 have even been raised more than 30 percent! Physiologist, Alan Berman, believes this trend may just be a, “random fluctuation.” I disagree with this because from a very young age, girls are pressured to look like the perfect, skinny, Barbie Doll. Real women don’t look tike this, with perfect smiles, bodies and hair. Young girls see these dolls and want to grow up to look exactly like them. This reminds me of the movie 13 going on 30. In the movie, a magazeine company wants a new look, and one girl tries to make a diffrence. This character uses real women and creates the magazine to look like a high school yearbook. This is really inspiring and it shows how much people perfer real people with real lives, than fake, plastic women. I believe we should use real women to show off America. Magazines should show real people, and Barbie dolls should be made with hips and curves like real women.

This article also mentions how technology my play a role on the pressures of girls. Texting, facebook, and e-mail can instantly spread gossip that can break confidence in a girl. I have been told that when a girl has confidence, it is one of the best virtues she can have. I now understand that confidence is quite hard to find among American girls. How can adults, the media and parents show girls that it is ok to be curvy? How can we boost confidence? I also wonder if other countries have problums with their teenage girls?

This article also reminds me of the music video, More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz. Even though the video is cheezy, the message of this song is so great and positive. Diaz’s video tells girls that they are beautiful the way they were made, and one day a man will come along and love them exactly the way they are. We need to drop the Barbie Doll image and show girls how beautiful they are inside and out.

Tony Wagner’s article, “Rigor Redefined,” informs readers about the disservice educators are providing for students today, and what employers are looking for in workers tomorrow. Wagner interviews many companies and employers to see what they have to say about students. “I look for someone who asks good questions.” says clay parker, of the Chemical Management Division of BOC Edwards. I don’t think teachers are stressing this enough. As I looked at the many things employers want in job applicants, I realized that many of my teachers are not preparing me in this way. One of the main things employers are looking for are people who work in teams. Sure, one man can come up with a really great idea, but multiple people can work together to come up with an even better idea.

I do agree, however, that educators are having a difficult time deciphering the information students will need to survive, in such modern times. No one knows what the future has in store for us or how we will adjust to these fast, changing times. One question that was on my mind as I read this article, was: How do you teach students the skills they will need, for jobs that don’t even exist yet?

There have always been “firsts.” George Washington was the first president, he had to figure out how to run a country. Now educators will need to be the first people to prepare students for the future. Educators will need to figure out how to run a generation.

The Lost Get Found

On September 8, David Warlick’s blog was called Evolution of Evolution. Warlick talks about a man named Ben Fry. Fry created a story about scientific ideas and evolution. This made me question, if Warlick was an evolutionist. As I read on in the blog I later found out that Warlick is a strong believer in evolution and the big bang. I strongly disagree with the idea of the big bang. I believe in God and how he carefully created the universe. Look around you! The trees in the fall are so fiery and beautiful, in the winter, the snow seems to be like a blanket of peace falling on the world. It seems impossible that a little speck of dust could have created this entire world. This made me think about Darwin and his thoughts on evolution. How did he come up with this kind of idea? What scientific proof did he have to back it up?

Christian artist Britt Nichole wrote a song called The Lost Get Found. I absolutely live this song. Whenever I feel like I forget who I am, I listen to these lyrics:

Don't let your lights go down

Don't let your fire burn out'

Cause somewhere,

somebody needs a reason to believe

Why don't you rise up now?

Don't be afraid to stand out

That's how the lost get found

The lost get found

So when you get the chance

Are you gunna take it?

There's a really big world at your fingertips

And you know you have the chance to change it

There's a girl on the streets, she's crying

There's a man whose faith is dying

Love is calling you

This song is so influential. So, I challenge you to ask yourself, what is calling you?

I know that many people would disagree with by believes. I used to be afraid to disagree with what everyone else said, like the theory of evolution. But I think I have grown stronger emotionally. I am proud of my faith and what I believe in, not many people find that kind of faith and happiness. Maby people,like David Warlick, who are lost, can be found.
　

The Gift of Life

Laurie Goodstein, a writer for the New York times, wrote an article titled, “Support Appears to Drop for Abortion Rights.” This article says, that the rate of abortion support has dropped. In 2008 a poll stated that the opponents were 54 to 40 percent. Last week, another poll was conducted that showed how the numbers of abortion support has dropped. 47 percent of the people surveyed said it should be legal and 45 percent said it should be illegal. This also made me think about teen pregnancies. The number of teen pregnancies has increased over the years. Teenagers are making unwise decisions and putting themselves into complicated situations. As I thought this over, some questions came to mind; If I were put into that situation what would I do? What would my life look like if I had a baby? Would I be able to take on such a big responsibility?

I do not think abortion is good. But I do think it should stay legal. There are some cases where I think abortion is necessary and should take place, but if a woman had other options, I think adoption is the right thing. Thousands of couples are on wait lists to adopt because they cannot have children. Thousands of young women are having abortions because they don’t want their baby. How is this fair? Wouldn’t you want your child to live in a safe, loving home?

In a way, I think abortion is murder. You kill unborn life. You kill a little boy or girl, something so small, so helpless. Think about life. It seems long yet short at the same time. The days go by slowly but when you look back on previous years, you think, whoa! Where did the time go? I think all breathing things should have the chance to live. Our time here on earth is so short, so we, as humans, need to love, enjoy, and live life to the fullest. Wouldn’t you want to give the same gift, the gift of life, to someone else?

Skype for school?

In Mr. Fisch’s blog, The Fisch bowl, he writes a blog post titled, H1N1, Skype, and a Possible Tipping Point .Fisch talks about a teacher named Anne Smith. Many of Smith’s students are sick with the H1N1 virus, but are staying connected. The students are using skype to listen and be involved with the class. I think this is really great! It is such a good idea. Students get a lot of homework and often feel stressed if they miss school. Students who miss school have to make up the work they missed and do the normal homework. I don’t think teachers realize how much their students have to do. If a student asks a teacher if they can lighten the work load, the teacher usually responds by telling the student to take advantage of their “off hours.” I agree that students need to learn how to manage their time, but many students do extra activities outside of school. Maybe teachers should give students time in class, to get homework done.

Mr. Fisch asks some very interesting questions. He wonders if the H1N1 virus will be a “tipping point.” Will teachers put more of their instruction online?
I believe this will be a tipping point. Once teachers use the computer for their assignments, I think they will find, that the students really love the internet. Many students do much better when they are using technology. I personally, prefer using paper and pencil, the old way, but many students like using computers.

Taking Care of Each Other Through Schools

Today, I read an article titled, A New Meaning for Cutting Classes written by Javier C. Hernandez. Many schools all across America and in New York City are getting budget cuts. Educators and schools need money to achieve higher test scores and better students, but in this economy everyone has to make a sacrifice. After reading this article, it made me think about how much our world struggles. There are so many things wrong, such as global warming and the economy. I think we all need to try a little harder. Step up our game. People need to start helping each other and our world. This reminded me of a story I once heard.

A man has a dream where he walks into a room and there is a large round table with some friends sitting around it. In front of each friend is a large pot of soup and a very long spoon. The people sitting at the table are all very skinny because the spoon was too long to reach their mouths. The man was very disturbed by this, so he walked out of the room and into a very similar room. There was a large round table, and friends sitting around it, there were large pots of soup and very long spoons. One thing he took note of, was that all of the people were happy and laughing. They were all very plump from eating the soup. The people knew that the spoons were too long, so they reached across the table and fed the others.

I love this story. I believe that in hard times, like today, we need take care of each other. “Feed one another,” if you will. In schools, students will need to learn to take care of each other. Just like Mr. Booth says, “warriors take care of one another.” People will need to learn how to be a warrior. In America, we are living the dream. People risk their lives to come live here. We need take pride in our technology, the way we live, and our schools. Educators will have to work with what they have, in the classrooms. And students will need to work along side them.

Women, the Economy, and Our Future

In David Warlick’s blog, he writes a post that really made me smile. In the article, This Would Be Really Weird, David talks about women in our weak economy. He mentions that women make up 49.83 % of the American workforce. Men are losing more jobs than women. This made me feel kind of powerful inside. Women are helping our economy become better, stronger. All throughout time, society has labeled women. Women used to stay home all day cook, clean, and keep the house. But, sometimes, when war broke out or things got hard, women stepped out and helped. During wars, women took over their husbands jobs, became volunteer nurses and brought America to its normal ways. I think that we have so much more power than we realize. Adults will have to work harder to raise America’s youth for the future. We have no idea what to expect. So, I think adults need to teach youth to think for themselves, raise their own believes and create a strong foundation. Teenagers and kids look up to adults, weather they are willing to admit it or not. So adults, I would encourage you to try understanding the youth of America. One day, we will own the world too. Be examples and show us how.

Today, “Women are on the verge of outnumbering men in the (U.S.) workforce for the first time…” I truly believe that women have always worked harder then men. Think about it, women cook, clean, raise children, keep jobs, do laundry, and so much more! I recently read an article called, WHAT IS A MOM WORTH? WORKING MOM vs. STAY AT HOME MOM SALARIES FOR 2006 . No, it is not 2006 any more, but I agree with this article. A study was completed about how much a mother would be paid for all of her hard work. A stay at home mom would make, $134,121 a year. A working mom would only make, $85,876 a year.

Going back to David Warlick’s article, he ends with some very intristing questions. I have been thinking and pondering these questions for a few days. David asks, “As the conditions that we live, play, and earn a living in continue to change, are we going to be able to adapt? Are we all going to be able to adapt? Are we adapting, as educators? Is education going to transition in a way that appropriately prepares children for an unpredictable future? What does that transition look like?” I do believe we can adapt to our changing and growing economy. We can adapt to almost anything. It just takes time. As I was reading the comments of this blog post, a college student shares about a video they watched in class. More women are finishing college than men because men just give up. Educators are struggling to teach students about the unpredicted future. How will Edgucators raise a better generation of America? A transition will need to take place in order to adapt to our new culture. I don’t know what that change will look like, but we need to be ready and prepared. I read a book awhile ago, called High Dive written by Tammar Stein, that mentioned something about change. It stuck in my memory and I agree with what this character said, “It’s crippling to be scared of change. Everything about life changes, all the time. If you are scared of change, it means you are scared of life.” Many people are scared. With this economy, no one knows what to expect, or what will happen. Being scared of change isn’t always bad. But people will need to step up and be brave if we ever want to start a change. We can’t go on like this. I hope someone shows, good, leadership. Soon.
　
　

Our Generation:changing the world through technology

It was very hard for me to come to a final decision about our literacy revolution and technology today. It was hard for me to decide weather, our computer obsessed, generation is a good thing or a bad thing. Many teachers and pundits say that using the computer and cell phones are bad for students and their writing. An article I recently read called, Clive Thomson: The New Literacy, had a strong impact about how I view writing today. Andrea Lunsford, a professor at Stanford university, gave her opinions about our generation and the way students use technology. One thing Andrea found, is that our generation writes more than any other generation before us. Andrea believes that the way students and young people use technology, is a good thing I agree with Andrea. She says, “I think we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution…” I have never thought of this before. During accent Greek times when philosophers were admired, a literacy revolution took place. Those philosophers had a huge impact on the world and literacy. I am excited that our generation gets to be apart of it as well. I hope that through our writing and technology, we can change the world . Young adults and students have so much to offer! We just need to figure out what to bring to the table.
In the popular YouTube video, The Machines are US/ing us, Michael Wesch talks about computers. He says, “ We are the web”. This really impacted me. There would be no world wide web or search sights without people. We make the internet exist. Its incredible how much power we have! We can control the entire internet, every single website, every video, picture, and blog. With so much power, how will we use it? Can we use it to benefit others? Can we use that power to change the world? To create something bigger, better, faster, stronger?
Michael Wesch also mentions how different digital text is. It is so much different from written text and using a pen and a piece of paper. Digital text is, “ more flexible, moveable, above all, hyper.” When you think about it, our entire would can be viewed on a computer. You can look anything up and get a result for it. And with so much information, it needs to be organized. And who will organize it? “We will.” We are a new generation and era of literacy. Lets change the world.