Current Connection 2.1

Every decision and action we make can affect a person emotionally, physically, or mentally. There are many times when we speak without thinking and hurt someones feelings. Too many people have taken bullying lightly and think its alright to call a person a name, or hurt them. The negative acts taken towards someone else could be considered bullying and could change someones life. Rachel's Challenge is a program that wants to create peace, make our learning environments safer for everyone, and impact our society in a positive way.

"Each day 160,000 students do not go to school because they are bullied, teased and harassed." This statement shocked me! How could someone be so selfish and ignorant that they bully someone so much, to the point where they don't want to go to school. 160,000 is a big number, especially for students that don't attend school. One of those students who are being picked on and bullied could be our next Steve Jobs or our next president, yet they fear a place where they are supposed to be learning at, not bullied. We must think before we speak, and realize that our words can really tear someone down instead of building them up.

Shortly before her death, Rachel wrote, "I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go."An act of kindness is anything simple, it can be picking someones pencil up, or opening the door for them. Every act can make someone feel a little better after a long day. We don't know what a person is going through or what their home and social life is like, so an act of kindness can show someone that not everyone is the same and that someone cares. When you show someone kindness, and they show someone else, it will indeed start a chain reaction and can dramatically affect the school environment. It would most likely decrease bullying and increase happiness within the students.

"In one survey, 78% of students indicated they would definitely intervene in a bullying incident in their school after seeing Rachel's Challenge." The program has truly impacted schools, and is still going. Rachel one wrote down that she would "touch millions of peoples hearts" and she is doing just that. More than 19 million people have been touched by Rachel's message and continue to spread the word. The more people know, the less bullying there will be, and the more peace and safety will be in the world.

As a student, I see bullying, I have been bullied, and I have bullied others. I regret my actions and words and wish I could take them all back, but once done or said, you can never take it back. After learning about Rachel's challenge, I decided that I would never bully anyone again and that I would do my best to prevent such acts. Showing kindness and respect will be my new goal, and hopefully people will see that anyone can change.

Rachel's Challenge has impacted many people around the United States and even some out of the country. The program is a very well needed program that can change someone or something in the matter of minutes. People make mistakes and hurt others, but they can also change and help the ones who they once hurt. Our decisions today can affect our tomorrow.

Current Connection 1.2

What makes a good school? Some may say the schools size and others the resources; some may think it's the sports and others believe its the location, but I believe what school comes down to is the education. Although we are all required to attend school and are all taught the same lessons, it is hard to find a school that will teach you the proper skills and techniques to prepare you properly for college. Has the United States done a good job with our educational system? I believe not. The article THE STATE OF COLORADO EDUCATION: Recipes for good schools hard to find by Debbie Kelley and Carol McGraw, talks about what makes a good school and whether we, the United States, are doing a good job with our educational system.

In the article Kelley and McGraw state, "There's no simple fix for America's struggling education system."The United States may be strong militarily but are we meeting our expectations educationally? I think not. There are many schools around the United States that have not prepared the students enough for them to succeed and bypass others around the world. There are also many countries around the world who are ahead of us educationally. I support the military, but our education is more important, therefore we need to focus on that.

"It's not the plays, it's the execution that counts." said Rockne in the article. There are teachers who believe that a lesson will teach everyone the same, but in reality, we are all different. We, the students, have different ways of learning. Some of us are visual learners, some can learn by activities, and some can learn by listening but in the end, we are all different and all require different methods of learning and receiving the lesson. I, a student in high school, believe that we must step up our educational methods and prove to them that we can take over the top.

The author concludes that, "The U.S. education system ranks 17th among developed nations, according to a report that education firm Pearson and the Economist Intelligence Unit released in November. It ranked Finland and South Korea as providing the best education systems, followed by Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore." We may be able to brag about being a world leader since 1945, but clearly we are not as advanced educationally. 17th place among all developed nations is not that great. We need to step up our game and show the rest of the world we can lead in every aspect of life.

     
As a high school student, this saddens me. If we were in the same level as Finland or South Korea, I could assume that we, high school students, would be better prepared for the next steps in our lives and we would also have better test scores. If we aren't learning all that we can at the best capacity, then we need to try harder. Teachers and students both need to give it our best and try harder than ever. We can be at the top yet we want to slack off and it shows in the end. We are ranked 17th and that's not very good. I am part of this and I feel like we could do much better. 

     
The United States has not done a bad job with our education, but we can do better. We have the talent and resources to progress through the ranks and be placed in the top 3 nations with the best education, we just need to put a plan together and start removing parts that are affecting us.We can do it, the only thing needed is the motivation. I can see this happening within the next few years, can you?

Current Connection 1.1

     In the article "Pakistani schoolgirl Malala who survived assassination attempt honored for education activism" by the Associated Press, the authors talk a young girl by the name of Malala is rewarded the Children's Peace Prize for her act of courage and her bravery. Malala is a young girl who was nearly killed for standing up for what she believed in and for standing up for her education and the education of many other young girls in the Middle East.

"Malala was 15 years old when she and two of her friends were attacked on their way home from school in Pakistan's northwest Swat Valley." stated the author. Young girls, or women in general, are not allowed to be educated through school in the Middle East. There are young girls who still go to school and put their lives on the edge everyday just to be able to learn from a school. Men around those parts of the world believe that women should not be able to go to school but instead should stay home and take care of the house work and of their families.

The author states,"The 16-year-old said she accepted the prize Friday in the historic Knights' Hall in The Hague "on behalf of all the children all over the world who are trying to go to school." There are many people who do not want to go to school or do not even try when they are there yet there are people who wish they could get an education and even risk their lives trying to obtain one. Everyone who complains and says they hate school needs to walk in the shoes of person who can not get an education and wishes they could.

The author of the article also says, "She survived and now attends school in England after being flown there for treatment." Malala can now happily learn and has impacted the world with her action of bravery and courage. It's unbelievable that a person has to go through all that pain just for education. Everyone deserves the right to education no matter the race or sex of the person. Malala is a strong girl and a very brave one also, Malala and her friends survived the attack and have left a mark on history for the cause of education for women in the Middle East.

Malala was an extremely courageous young girl who stood up for education and what she believed was right, she deserved that award and she also deserves much more, especially the respect and love from people all around the world. I, a student in the United States, am very unappreciative sometimes. After reading this artcile, I relaized how much of an honor going to school and obtainig an education really is.
    
Would you stand up for your freedom of education or would you just sit there and live your life full of ignorance? Only you can decide, Malala decided what she thought was right and stood up for her decisions. If Malala, the young girl who stood up for education, could go through all this pain, then why do we complain about going to school if we have the freedom of going?

Words hurt

      "5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say To Their Kids" is an article that I can relate to because my parents have said some things in my past that I wish I haven't heard. I can remember one that always scared me was the one when my mom used to tell things like  "I'm leaving if you don't hurry" or "I'm going to leave without you." I began to get so scared that I had to be by her side at all times.  Debora Gilboa, a parenting speaker, says, "If you want them to believe what we say is true, we cannot say something that is patently false." My parents used to scare me when they told me they were leaving or that I had to go into what they called "time-out" and stuff like that. I started to realize that it started to not happened so now I don't really get scared when they tell me "We are taking your phone" or when they say "We will be watching you" because I know they won't. 
      My parents always told me to apologize after I did something that wasn't right.  "Young children don't automatically understand why they have to apologize." If a child goes through their childhood apologizing and not even knowing what for, they'll do that all their life about every little thing. I know people that they apologize for every single thing they do, it gets to the point to where it no longer has a meaning to be sorry. I can say I am sorry but I may only say it to be nice and not because I meant it. I think it is important to teach children when it is proper to say sorry and not to make them say sorry for everything they do.  In the end "Words hurt and they can't be taken back, so be careful" says Debbie Pincus" and I fully agree with her. 

http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/5-things-parents-shouldnt-kids-171300904.html#!exz4M

BHS SADD

     Recently at Batesville High School our sutdent body has started a SADD Chapter. "Founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981 in Wayland, Massachusetts, SADD has grown to become the nation's leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges." Students Against Destructive Decisions or SADD is an organization that help people our age make better decisions in our high school years that will help us in our future rather than affect us. Like the website stated, it has grown to be the "nation's leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization.."Some of those decisions could be drinking, drugs, drunk driving and such. SADD has realized that it's not just alcohol that's available to students, but also drugs and other destructive decisions that could really hurt them. "SADD's unique approach involves young people delivering education and prevention messages to their peers through school- and community wide activities and campaigns responsive to the needs of their particular locations." Summer is almost here and for some of us, that means going down to the sandbar and hanging out all day with chances to drink and even smoke.
     "Membership into SADD is a commitment and a voluntary process. Members set the environment for other students to follow here on campus." Most of the members of SADD volunteer in their communities to make it a much safer environment for everyone around this town. Most of the work done is by the students but in order for it to take action, the adviser must agree. In order to get more people into the SADD Club, one most show and be a good influence and must show others all the good things about being part of the club. "Service projects are one of the best ways to constructively engage youth; in fact, the rewards and experiences gained during a service project have the potential to leave a huge impact on not only those in need, but also those serving." Having hands on activities is fun and can attract many people to join and help. The point of the activities is not to be rewarded or recognized but its to show others that you care about the environment and your peers that you will do anything to keep them safe.

http://www.sadd.org/mission.htm

Woman Abuse Is Bad

Abuse comes in all kinds of forms. It is not only physical, such as hitting or beating, but it is emotional and verbal, as well. Words hurt and manipulation can also tear someone down, slowly but surely. Usually, emotional abuse takes place in relationships. Though it is definitely not always men abusing the women, it is more common for the women to be the victim. Women are weaker, physically, giving men more power over them, and some men seem to enjoy taking control of that vulnerability.

 In many countries, especially third world countries, women abuse is not considered normal. It is a regular thing that people learn to accept, which means men repeat the same abuse to their future wives or daughters, creating a cycle that never ends. In the Middle East, there is a practice that has gone on for many years. It is frowned upon, but the abusers do not always get the consequence they most definitely deserve. It involves throwing acid onto the face of a woman, either to get revenge or for some other personal reason. The acid, a harmful chemical, burns the face of the woman, literally melting off their skin and leaving behind a gruesome look. Although the advanced technology we have allows surgeons to reconstruct those victimized by the heartless attackers, the women abused will never have the face they once had.

In a small tribe in an African country, there is a tradition that has been passed on through generations of women. The difference between the acid attacks that takes place in the Middle East is that while the attackers in the Middle East are male, the practice in Africa is performed by the women. The practice in itself has a meaning behind it, it is to try to prevent young girls from being sexually assaulted by the men in the tribe. It involves beating a young girl's breasts with hot rocks, in order to prevent the breasts from growing in, ultimately making them seem far too young to have sexual relations with. The practice is painful and does not always prevent the breasts from coming in, but rather only leaves burnt skin and scarring, physically and emotionally.

Women abuse is everywhere. Not only in third world countries, but in our own towns. Although it may be impossible to stop abuse from happening altogether, there is always hope to try to minimize it as best as possible. Anyone can help, by teaching children from an early age that abusing someone is wrong, or by helping end somebody's pain who is going through it already. There is no limit to how the world can help those abused and make women feel at peace and safe in their lives.

http://womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/

Good vs Evil

Our country has been attacked in many ways, most of them are thru violence. Now here is a new threat that has even more potential than any other method used to attack another country. This method is referred as "hacking." It may not appear to be a huge threat but it could severely hurt our country. Yahoo News has stated that "the growth in the number of hackers, the software tools available to them, and the thriving economic underground serving them have made any computer network connected to the Internet impossible to defend flawlessly." The internet is not a place that you can hide something and someone never finding out about it. Nowadays everything can be hacked and with the increasing number of knowledgeable hackers, it will only become harder and harder to protect private information from them. Dell Inc's chief security officer, John McClurg stated that "They outspend us and they out man us in almost every way," The leaders in the technological world are being hit and targeted by hackers from all directions, the work load is increasing and the number of hackers is only rising. We may indeed already be in a war with hackers across the earth. "The attacks are not only from China, which Washington has long accused of spying on U.S. companies, many emanate from Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Western countries." Hackers have only one goal, that goal is to mess with people just because of differences. I don't think it's right that we can't even trust the internet without the risk of being hacked and them stealing important information such as credit card numbers or Social Security Numbers. http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-near-impossible-battle-against-hackers-everywhere-080356080.htm 

Bravery Around The World

     In an article by Dylan Stableford from Yahoo! News called, Malala Yousafzai Speaks Publicly, the world is informed of a brave, young girl from Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban and survived.
 
Malala Yousafzai is a fifteen year old Pakistani girl who advocated girl's education rights. In the fall of 2012, while Malala was walking home from school, the Taliban issued a shooting and attacked the young girl, shooting her in the face. According to Associated Press, "the Taliban... targeted her because she promoted 'Western thinking.'" The Taliban, an extremist Islamic political group responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, do not believe in "Western thinking," nor giving women much rights at all. The attack on Malala Yousafzai sparked controversy around the world.

On Saturday, February 2, 2012, Yousafzai successfully underwent surgery in order to reconstruct her skull. Only a couple of days afterwards, she released a video speaking to the public and stated, "I want every girl, every child, to be educated." Malala also announced her success with the surgery and her determination to continue to advocate girls' education rights. In order to achieve her goals, she has launched the Malala Fund, an organization that will support education for young girls.

This article grabbed my attention immediately, not only was an innocent human being shot by vicious men, but it was a fifteen year old girl. I cannot in any way relate to her situation, considering we live in two completely different countries with completely different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, but I feel strong sympathy towards her, due to our similar ages. It makes me realize that no matter how old you are, you can make a difference in the world.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/malala-yousafzai-speaks-video-143346420.html

Animal Cruelty

     Humans and animals may not be the same, but they are still something we should love and take care of. Animal cruelty is something I strongly stand against. Most cases are the same and we have all known or met someone who has abused an animal or has seen someone do such act. There can be situations where the animal was not feed properly, was not taken care of properly, and was beaten out of anger or for "disciplinary methods."
    I happened to own a dog and I love him. My neighbor doesn't take good care of his dogs so I help them. That day I came across this article, reported by CNN, I read about how 20 year old Kevin Dean Parrish "put his grandmother's dog into a heated oven after it nipped at him." He told the police that he had a past of having "anger issues" and he was actually planning on leaving the 9 pound Chihuahua-Pincher in the oven, until his brother walked into the room. The dog is recovering fine from the burns it got from the oven, this is still a very cruel thing to do to an animal and I also find it very strange as well. I find all of this so similar to an experience I had we I was younger.
    When I was about 10 I had a friend who had a Labrador breed dog. I loved that dog, and it surprised us all with little puppies. I asked him if I could have one and he said yes. Our family took in the dog and we named it Max. I played with this dog all the time, he was like my best friend and I took care of my little buddy as if he was my little brother. which at the time, I was a single child. Time went by and we moved, Max stayed with us and everything was fine. I went back to visit my friend and noticed that his dog had burns on its legs. At first I really didn't think much of it. I later realized this dog has been thru so much. I asked my friend what happened to it and he said the dog ran away and some random family took him in, when the dog came back, those burns were on it. After this experience, animal cruelty just bothers me. I just think it's odd that both of these situations are alike and I happened to come across this report. Animal cruelty should not me something to be looked upon, not one bit. We all need to love everything and everyone no matter what.


Couldn't find original article but here is the same one but reported by Opposing Views:
 http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/oregon-man-kevin-dean-parrish-tries-bake-chihuahua-oven-dog-survives