Blog #8

As I read Freedom of speech or just a case of senioritis?, I didn't find this an issue on freedom of speech, but rather an issue of a student testing his school as summer neared. He clearly wanted to express his individuality, but did so in a way that violated the school handbook and was considered a "distraction". I don't believe "suck" would be a distraction. It is not profanity or obscene, it is an everyday word excepted in society. What I see as a "distraction" is when administrators pull students out of class and bring up the issue of the shirt. I'm sure students saw it as an opportunity to follow suit and express themselves.

Although I disagree with the stance she took, Lissa does support her opinion on with evidence. She provides clear insight on both sides of the subject at hand. Well done.

Blog #7

As a high school student, I work a part-time job at our local grocery store. On one occasion while there, a man and woman with two young children came in. After shopping awhile their basket was full, and they were ready to check out. I scanned all of their groceries and they swiped their food stamp card waiting patiently to leave the store. However, their card had insufficient funds. When I calmly explained this to them they were outraged! I told them their balance and asked them what they would like to put back. They put some things back and I scanned their groceries until right before it reached their card limit. I repeated the amount and asked them to swipe their card, but once again they were irate. They began cussing at me for not ringing up their beer. “We need our beer….we have to have it!” I called for manager assistance and he tried to assess the problem. Luckily for them our small town friendliness paid off and he personally gave them twenty dollars so they could purchase it. Our manager walked away and to my disbelief there was more yelling. “We need baby diapers…” So once again our manager gives them twenty dollars to purchase more stuff. First of all you CAN’T buy alcohol with food stamps! Second of all your babies needs are far more important!

Welfare is government aid intended to help those with little to no income, including the working poor. I have people come in on a daily basis that purchase cases upon cases of soda, bags of chips, and candy bars, and pay for all of it on food stamps. And America wonders why we are obese!! I think food stamps should be like WIC, and provide families with the necessities of life, such as fruits, veggies, milk, cheese, proteins, etc. Some people abuse this privilege on a daily basis. I believe what is purchased on food stamps should be monitored as well as a time limit on how long you can use an EBT card. Some people use this so they do not have to work as much and they get free money! I mean if the government allows it why not right?

I believe the government is too giving in this aspect. They should choose who they allow to use their assistance more carefully. They should review the person’s employee back ground and see how long they have held a job for to eliminate people just using welfare to be lazy and live off of.

Blog #6

I agree with one my classmate’s blog Obesity Craze. This is a well-written blog. He provides his own experience for insight as well as ideas beneficial to reducing American obesity. Obesity is a current major problem in the United States. According to CBS news, 190 million people are obese or overweight in America, and childhood obesity has triple in the past thirty years. I believe having restaurants provide the calorie count in the menus is a step forward in lowering the percentage of obese people, who are more susceptible to health problems. However, I believe the consumer must be just as concerned as the government in order for this to be one effective method. If a person does not believe they are obese or simply do not care, then having the number of calories on the menu will not be useful. I believe restaurants should also be required to use healthier cooking methods.
I think schools should have psychologists and nutritionists on their staff, so that children can talk to someone about why they are consuming immense amounts of food or why eating healthy and exercising is important to their health. I am an athlete and I even find myself eating because I’m bored and have nothing better to do. I just think as a whole the United States need to become more concerned on this issue.

Blog #5

Every school has to meet the required measurements for standardized testing, but why? Texas has put a lot of emphasis on standardized testing. It has become the measure of liability for student’s education. But is standardized testing really the answer? If a school has low academic success, can you actually say they do not meet standards? How can you base a person’s intelligence off a test like that? You simply can’t. It is impossible to measure someone’s academic ability off of a multiple choice test. Standardized testing does not accurately measure the academic success and achievements of a school or student. It does not allow teachers the freedom to teach the way they want to because they are too worried following the TAKS curriculum.

That is why I believe the concept of standardized testing should be re-evaluated. It does not accurately measure a child’s ability to learn, it does not accurately measure the strength of a teacher’s teaching ability, and it does not accurately measure a child’s intelligence, so what good is it? As a high school senior I have taken my fair share of TAKS testing through out the years. Every year I do fine in them, but I see other students struggle. Students who cannot pass their exit level TAKS test are provided the opportunity to take the test more than once. However, some people are just simply not test takers. I have seen my friends not pass their TAKS test and not be able to graduate. One of my friends moved to America her freshman year from Russia. She failed her exit level test and therefore couldn’t graduate. She was an exceptionally bright student, but according to the TEA she was not “qualified” to graduate. She learned English within the first year she was in Texas and within three years was doing upper-level math, now tell me she was not smart. The TAKS test is just a way for public schools to compete on which school is “better.” So what purpose does this test accomplish? In my opinion nothing, but hey I’m eighteen, in high school and had to take them my whole life, so it doesn’t really matter what I think, right? I believe standardized tests do not take into account the way a student processes what they learn. They focus on objectives, objectives that do not prepare us for our future education.

Blog #4

Clearly stated in The Statesman, the title, "Applying for food stamps isn't that easy audit says", speaks for itself, but how much of that is actually

According to Corrie Maclaggan, the author of this blog, the federal government is well aware of the problems in issuing food stamps and is finding ways to make the process go more smoothly. The food stamp program helps low-income people buy food. Although it is a federal government program, it is run by state or local agencies. Since the government is considering options on improving the application procedure perhaps they could get ideas and feedback from the applicants. Obviously since the number of applicants has increased 45% within two years there is going to be an issue of under-staffing. According to the audit, “Crowded lobbies, long waits, and delays in eligibility determinations clearly resulted in frustrated clients”. The process is not going to be a walk in the park and shouldn’t be either though. And as to the audit’s statement on people not knowing what to bring to the application process, well there are ways to find out. People shouldn’t complain if they are the ones not prepared. The more they aren’t ready for the procedure the harder they make work for the staff. A well known quote by Benjamin Franklin fits this situation perfectly, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” If people already start out not ready have can they expect for the process to go easy? Is it really that difficult to bring in a form of Identification such as a driver’s license, state ID, birth certificate or alien card, a proof of income such as pay stubs or Social Security card, proof of the cost spent for child care and records of your utility costs?

The author presents the issue clearly, stating what the audit claimed after evaluating the process of applying and obtaining food stamps. The credibility of this blog is 100% factual. The author does not give their opinion on the situation. The intended audience was for the general public stating that YES the federal government knows there is an issue on the speedy deliverance on issuing foods stamps and YES they are trying to resolve the problem.

Glen Hartman makes some good points in his editorial in the San Antonio Express News. Teachers are the ones educating the students. They are the ones investing a copious amount of time and their personal money into helping students obtain knowledge. If it is mandatory to go to school, than there is a demand for teachers. Without teachers what would schools be like? They simply wouldn’t. If teachers are what schools depend on, and they are, then why are their salaries so low? Superintendents make way over 50,000 more than teachers do. And for what? They are more interested in political part of schools rather than educational value and content. Are the administrators who authorize the use of certain curricula getting fired or pay cuts? Are they being held accountable to provide teachers with meaningful professional development?

If a school has low academic success, can you actually say they do not meet standards? Since school’s academic successes are based off of standardized testing, does that accurately measure their academic achievements? How much freedom do teachers really get to well teach? Does following C-Scope and TAKS curriculums prepare students for college?
Teachers have to endure so much more than what they signed on for. There is no pay increase for teachers spending time outside of school tutoring students and sitting at meetings for hours on end. There is no pay raise for teachers who go to workshops.

If the financial aspects of teaching are getting out of control in large cities and even in small towns why not do something about it? By consolidating schools it allows the opportunity for the same amount of teachers, but tremendously reduces the number of superintendents who are being overpaid to “guide the school to success.” If the number of administration is cut down immensely, this will result in money that can go to actual educators. The profuse amount of superintendents should be taken care of before teachers getting laid off.

Blog #2

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Texas Education Agency is rethinking cutting the funding for parent teens in high school. The TEA had recommended cutting about ten million from the Life Skills Program for Student Parents. Many people are worried that if they cut these funds students will not be able to pay for childcare and the rate of student drop outs will increase as a result. Many school districts provide their own funding, but it is not enough by itself. I believe a possible investment for funding could be redirected at pregnancy prevention programs, which will thus help cut future student parent funding. Improving girls' education and life options are connected with reduced pregnancy and birth rates.I believe a child’s education is important no matter what mistakes they have made throughout their life. I believe every effort should be made to help students who don’t want to lose their dream.