How do you define success?
Tessa Smyth, 8th
Success. The glorious feeling that comes upon you once you complete your goal. Almost as if you are being bathed in sunlight, the world bowing its head to you, and only you. That feeling is so amazing that occasionally, people will do anything in their power to achieve it. It can most accurately be described as something that gives you a sense of purpose and happiness or something that can bring pain. Either way, it has an impact on mental health.
Many people feel success when they have reached an important goal in their life. This goal could be anything from getting a dream job to making a new friend. Achieving a goal could also be beneficial to mental health. According to Modern Therapy, “As more people begin to define their success by those measures, it will undoubtedly cause a shift in how we view both mental health and achievement” (Modern Therapy). This means that we can work on improving our mental health as we learn what success is.
Success does not only come with a happy feeling but also with pressure. A type of pressure that comes from wanting to keep on achieving things and that you need to. An article about success and mental illness from Modern Therapy states, “Along with success comes higher expectations, more responsibilities, as well as increased attention and scrutiny. . . It is not uncommon for successful people to push aside social connections, ignore self-care, and isolate themselves in pursuit of their goals or responsibilities” (Modern Therapy). This can cause degrading mental health and sometimes depression.
Even though success is a fantastic feeling at times, it doesn’t mean it is always needed. For example, successful people in careers and education tend to push away others, so they succeed at this but fail with relationships. Success can be defined as a feeling, an emotion, or an adjective, usually a positive one, but it can have a price. Success is the feeling that comes one you achieve your goal; whether it is good or bad is in the hands of the person who feels it.
Work Cited
Modern Therapy. “Success and Mental Illness.” Modern Therapy, Modern Therapy, 10 Nov. 2018, https://moderntherapy.online/blog-2/2018/11/2/why-do-successful-people-struggle-with-mental-health
Many people feel success when they have reached an important goal in their life. This goal could be anything from getting a dream job to making a new friend. Achieving a goal could also be beneficial to mental health. According to Modern Therapy, “As more people begin to define their success by those measures, it will undoubtedly cause a shift in how we view both mental health and achievement” (Modern Therapy). This means that we can work on improving our mental health as we learn what success is.
Success does not only come with a happy feeling but also with pressure. A type of pressure that comes from wanting to keep on achieving things and that you need to. An article about success and mental illness from Modern Therapy states, “Along with success comes higher expectations, more responsibilities, as well as increased attention and scrutiny. . . It is not uncommon for successful people to push aside social connections, ignore self-care, and isolate themselves in pursuit of their goals or responsibilities” (Modern Therapy). This can cause degrading mental health and sometimes depression.
Even though success is a fantastic feeling at times, it doesn’t mean it is always needed. For example, successful people in careers and education tend to push away others, so they succeed at this but fail with relationships. Success can be defined as a feeling, an emotion, or an adjective, usually a positive one, but it can have a price. Success is the feeling that comes one you achieve your goal; whether it is good or bad is in the hands of the person who feels it.
Work Cited
Modern Therapy. “Success and Mental Illness.” Modern Therapy, Modern Therapy, 10 Nov. 2018, https://moderntherapy.online/blog-2/2018/11/2/why-do-successful-people-struggle-with-mental-health
Which is More Important: Effort or Talent?
Adrienne Girzone, 6th
Effort is more important than talent because effort is a sign of passion whether you have talent or not, but talent without care is just useless. Effort means you are determined to do something and you will work hard, even if the odds of you succeeding are low. To improve yourself, you only need motivation and effort, but talent alone is just going to keep you at the previous level. To be good at something, you need to improve, you should not stay at the same level. When you put effort into a topic, then you are earning skills, whereas when you have talent, you are just being handed a skill that you did not have any journey to get to; therefore you have richer experiences when putting in effort.
In the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, this was demonstrated because the hare had a natural talent of being fast, but the tortoise was naturally slow and needed to establish speed without a talent. The hare did not put in effort which resulted in his loss because he did not think he needed to nurture his talent and therefore goofed off the whole time, but the tortoise worked harder and persevered through the disadvantage of being slow, which made his victory prove a bigger point. If the hare put in more effort, he may have won, but as this story tells us, you need effort in order to win, which is what the tortoise used to win.
In any activity, the higher your level is, the more you need to put in effort and the less you can rely on talent to keep up. When you are beginning, if you have a talent then you are able to work well, but once you confront a higher level, the things you do become more complex and there is no way for you to understand them unless you work hard and you try to do everything the best you can. When I was in Kindergarten, if someone told me to draw something realistic, they would expect a stick figure and my drawing would be considered amazing. But now, if someone asks me to draw a realistic picture, they expect more and I need to put in more effort. With talent alone, you do not grow, so wherever you are at, you will stay there unless you put in effort.
I am not saying talent is useless, but talent is only useful if it is shaped by effort. So effort is really the key to doing well at something. Think of skill as a couch, the talent is the fabric, and the effort is the cushioning. If you took away the cushioning from a couch, you would just have a piece of wood underneath fabric which is not comfortable for anyone, but if you took away the fabric, you would still have the cushion and you could still have a functional couch; it just would not have the extra comfort that fabric gives. Effort supports you in the same way that a cushion would. Talent adds some extra character just like a fabric design might add to a couch or a piece of clothing.
Last year, I thought that talent was more important because talent is unique to the person who has it, and not everyone is talented at something. But when I reflect on it, I realize that if you have talent, you tend to forget to put effort into the task which results in the loss of the talent. It would be ideal to put effort into something at which you are already talented, but theoretically if you could either put in effort or have talent, then it would be a better decision to choose effort, because effort alone helps your skills develop but talent alone has a limit to the amount of development it can cause to your skill.
In the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, this was demonstrated because the hare had a natural talent of being fast, but the tortoise was naturally slow and needed to establish speed without a talent. The hare did not put in effort which resulted in his loss because he did not think he needed to nurture his talent and therefore goofed off the whole time, but the tortoise worked harder and persevered through the disadvantage of being slow, which made his victory prove a bigger point. If the hare put in more effort, he may have won, but as this story tells us, you need effort in order to win, which is what the tortoise used to win.
In any activity, the higher your level is, the more you need to put in effort and the less you can rely on talent to keep up. When you are beginning, if you have a talent then you are able to work well, but once you confront a higher level, the things you do become more complex and there is no way for you to understand them unless you work hard and you try to do everything the best you can. When I was in Kindergarten, if someone told me to draw something realistic, they would expect a stick figure and my drawing would be considered amazing. But now, if someone asks me to draw a realistic picture, they expect more and I need to put in more effort. With talent alone, you do not grow, so wherever you are at, you will stay there unless you put in effort.
I am not saying talent is useless, but talent is only useful if it is shaped by effort. So effort is really the key to doing well at something. Think of skill as a couch, the talent is the fabric, and the effort is the cushioning. If you took away the cushioning from a couch, you would just have a piece of wood underneath fabric which is not comfortable for anyone, but if you took away the fabric, you would still have the cushion and you could still have a functional couch; it just would not have the extra comfort that fabric gives. Effort supports you in the same way that a cushion would. Talent adds some extra character just like a fabric design might add to a couch or a piece of clothing.
Last year, I thought that talent was more important because talent is unique to the person who has it, and not everyone is talented at something. But when I reflect on it, I realize that if you have talent, you tend to forget to put effort into the task which results in the loss of the talent. It would be ideal to put effort into something at which you are already talented, but theoretically if you could either put in effort or have talent, then it would be a better decision to choose effort, because effort alone helps your skills develop but talent alone has a limit to the amount of development it can cause to your skill.
Transitioning to a New Normal
Aviv Weiss Kaplan, 8th
Starting in March of 2020 and continuing onto today, a thought has been in all of our minds. What is the new normal? What would be considered a normal standard in our current lives, having gone through one of the most life changing events that has occurred in many years? To me, one change that has greatly affected my life is how my school has started implementing a significantly more amount of technology in our in-class and out of class assignments. Slowly, this change has become a new normal for my school community and what I expect from Kinneret Day School.
This story began in 2020 when our entire school shifted to an entirely remote system for learning. All of a sudden, my entire school had to learn how to create the entire curriculum using Google Docs, Google Classroom, this conference platform called Zoom, and many more digital platforms. Prior to this switch, more than three quarters of the school activities were on paper. After the switch, more than three quarters of the school activities were done on computers and the last quarter were papers that were printed through our computers. Computers had just then taken over our entire school life.
Once returning from the shutdown, our school did not stop using these digital platforms. This was mostly because of how there were plenty of students who were still learning remotely and also due to the worry that our entire school would shift to digital learning once again. This led to every one of the middle school students having a Chromebook for digital assignments and almost every assignment relying on Google Classroom and the other digital platforms. Now, in the second full school year since the beginning of Covid 19, some things from digital learning have stayed and some have gone. For example, our Hebrew, math, science, and Social Studies curricula have returned to a mostly on-paper system except for major projects and the occasional digital activities which are done on the computer. For Judaic Studies and English Language Arts, the curricula are still primarily digital which can be attributed to the pandemic. In 2019, about a quarter of class activities were digital. Now, in 2022, about half of class activities are digital, an increase from 2019.
This shift to a digital learning environment has had both a positive and negative impact on who I am as a person. On the positive side, having a digital work system has made me more organized. With the google platforms such as google drive and google classroom, I am able to easily see which assignments I have not completed, ask questions to my teachers about assignments, and organize all of my documents into a plethora of folders without having to worry about carrying more than twenty folders in my backpack every day. I also feel as if being able to use digital platforms to assist my learning has also helped me specifically in the writing sector. I find it quite difficult to write more than three paragraphs on a piece of paper without receiving pain in my hand. Now with google docs, I am able to write paragraphs of information without having to worry about hand strain and many other difficulties that come with writing on paper.
Unfortunately, there are also some bad aspects to having my academic life more reliant on technology. First of all, due to the use of screens at school, my eyes have not been happy with me. My eyes are quite often very tired by the end of the day and whenever I step into a dark room, I quite often see many blue specks. I also feel as if my school’s reliance on technology has not reflected positively on my social life. An example of this is in Hebrew class when our class was working with a prototype digital program that was designed to help students communicate in Hebrew digitally. In this program, my class would be asked to digitally discuss assigned topics which was a fantastic method for enriching our Hebrew typing skills but did not help our social skills. Without being able to see and hear the person speaking, we are not able to see some of the important features of discussion such as body language and speech tone. As it can be seen, the implementation of digital technology in school has provided me with benefits as well as some negative impacts. Therefore, the next step for us is to find a happy medium of technology usage.
This story began in 2020 when our entire school shifted to an entirely remote system for learning. All of a sudden, my entire school had to learn how to create the entire curriculum using Google Docs, Google Classroom, this conference platform called Zoom, and many more digital platforms. Prior to this switch, more than three quarters of the school activities were on paper. After the switch, more than three quarters of the school activities were done on computers and the last quarter were papers that were printed through our computers. Computers had just then taken over our entire school life.
Once returning from the shutdown, our school did not stop using these digital platforms. This was mostly because of how there were plenty of students who were still learning remotely and also due to the worry that our entire school would shift to digital learning once again. This led to every one of the middle school students having a Chromebook for digital assignments and almost every assignment relying on Google Classroom and the other digital platforms. Now, in the second full school year since the beginning of Covid 19, some things from digital learning have stayed and some have gone. For example, our Hebrew, math, science, and Social Studies curricula have returned to a mostly on-paper system except for major projects and the occasional digital activities which are done on the computer. For Judaic Studies and English Language Arts, the curricula are still primarily digital which can be attributed to the pandemic. In 2019, about a quarter of class activities were digital. Now, in 2022, about half of class activities are digital, an increase from 2019.
This shift to a digital learning environment has had both a positive and negative impact on who I am as a person. On the positive side, having a digital work system has made me more organized. With the google platforms such as google drive and google classroom, I am able to easily see which assignments I have not completed, ask questions to my teachers about assignments, and organize all of my documents into a plethora of folders without having to worry about carrying more than twenty folders in my backpack every day. I also feel as if being able to use digital platforms to assist my learning has also helped me specifically in the writing sector. I find it quite difficult to write more than three paragraphs on a piece of paper without receiving pain in my hand. Now with google docs, I am able to write paragraphs of information without having to worry about hand strain and many other difficulties that come with writing on paper.
Unfortunately, there are also some bad aspects to having my academic life more reliant on technology. First of all, due to the use of screens at school, my eyes have not been happy with me. My eyes are quite often very tired by the end of the day and whenever I step into a dark room, I quite often see many blue specks. I also feel as if my school’s reliance on technology has not reflected positively on my social life. An example of this is in Hebrew class when our class was working with a prototype digital program that was designed to help students communicate in Hebrew digitally. In this program, my class would be asked to digitally discuss assigned topics which was a fantastic method for enriching our Hebrew typing skills but did not help our social skills. Without being able to see and hear the person speaking, we are not able to see some of the important features of discussion such as body language and speech tone. As it can be seen, the implementation of digital technology in school has provided me with benefits as well as some negative impacts. Therefore, the next step for us is to find a happy medium of technology usage.
Why Graffiti is Art
Ari Raytburg, 6th
Banksy is a famous graffiti artist. He earned thousands of dollars by painting amazing and beautiful art. If you have no money and you cannot go to a museum, you can go on the street and look at the graffiti, painting is art, and graffiti is painting, so graffiti is art. Art is an expression of the artist's feelings; so is graffiti.
The streets of New York are graffiti museums. Most alleys are full of amazing colorful works of art. It's a graffiti artists art gallery. The walls of buildings are sometimes filled with more colorful and more exquisite paintings than the walls of a museum. Sadly most graffiti artists are not as well known as most regular artists even though their art is better.
In art you paint, sculpt, sketch, and more. In graffiti you paint and spray paint on the wall so you are using paint on a super-sized canvas. There is basically no difference between graffiti and painting with acrylic paint on a canvas.
Art was invented to express the artist's feelings. Graffiti does that exact thing but in a more colorful and vibrant way. Also, most famous art works are blocked off because the museum owner is worried that someone can steal it so an average art lover can't go and look at it. You can’t steal graffiti because it's on a wall and you cannot steal a wall. Another reason for why graffiti is better than regular art is that most well known and famous artworks are in the museums of expensive cities; for example, the Mona Lisa, arguably the most well known painting in the world, is displayed in Paris which is a difficult location to reach from New York.
In conclusion, graffiti is a form of art and a perfect example of how art is a way for an artist to express their feelings and how beautiful art should be free to the public and lastly how all art styles are very similar to each other.
The streets of New York are graffiti museums. Most alleys are full of amazing colorful works of art. It's a graffiti artists art gallery. The walls of buildings are sometimes filled with more colorful and more exquisite paintings than the walls of a museum. Sadly most graffiti artists are not as well known as most regular artists even though their art is better.
In art you paint, sculpt, sketch, and more. In graffiti you paint and spray paint on the wall so you are using paint on a super-sized canvas. There is basically no difference between graffiti and painting with acrylic paint on a canvas.
Art was invented to express the artist's feelings. Graffiti does that exact thing but in a more colorful and vibrant way. Also, most famous art works are blocked off because the museum owner is worried that someone can steal it so an average art lover can't go and look at it. You can’t steal graffiti because it's on a wall and you cannot steal a wall. Another reason for why graffiti is better than regular art is that most well known and famous artworks are in the museums of expensive cities; for example, the Mona Lisa, arguably the most well known painting in the world, is displayed in Paris which is a difficult location to reach from New York.
In conclusion, graffiti is a form of art and a perfect example of how art is a way for an artist to express their feelings and how beautiful art should be free to the public and lastly how all art styles are very similar to each other.
Transitioning to a New Normal
Ezra Dipietra, 8th
While the Pandemic has continued to go on for two years and will hopefully end soon, we should focus on what to do currently. We should think about what is the new normal in our lives at school, at work, in stores, at home, and in many other places. But what is the new normal you might ask?
The classroom environment has become really different since Covid ran rampant through our communities. It is normal to see students being separated and spaced out while wearing masks to be safe. It is now normal to see students and teachers with their masks on all the time. The transition to this way of life was especially tough. I could not tell the facial expressions on students’ and teachers' faces. This made me very upset because it took away the emotional connection in classes, which is by far the most important for me. I can sometimes not even recognize my teachers without their masks. Despite these challenges, I learned to power through it and embrace that it is our new normal.
The one thing that made me happy about embracing the “new normal” was the increase in online work. I think online work gives someone, like me, the chance to be more organized. This change has affected me positively because I am now allowed to work more efficiently by completing assignments on my phone. This change has made it easier to communicate with teachers. Teachers made sure that the transition went smoothly. But despite help from my teachers, my first few days of seventh grade were tough. I could not high-five my friends, and I could not interact with some of them because of the pod system. I learned that I could talk to them during recess and lunch. I enjoyed that, but it still was tough not seeing them frequently. s we embrace the new normal we have to realize there are effects outside of the classroom and schoolwork.
Outside of the curriculum, the “new normal” has been harder to embrace. Until recently, in 8th grade, boys and girls had to eat separately for lunch. The reason for that action was to provide us with socially distant spaces to eat. I fully agree with this reason, although the transition to this system was quite tough for me. Another new normal is that we now have a designated snack time in between two of our classes. This is very tough for me because of my involvement in the Tech Squad. Every day, I have to put away Chromebooks, which takes time out of my snack period. This leads to me only having a few minutes to eat. Therefore, I have had to adapt to this new normal by putting the Chromebooks away as fast as possible so that I have enough time to eat my snack. Another next major change was a change in our school’s water policy. If you have to drink water during a class, you must leave the classroom. I did not like the rule at first, but it grew on me. I had to embrace it in order to comply with the school rules.
Although I have confronted many challenges in adapting to changes made to our snacks and lunch, the changes made during recess and gym were by far the most difficult to confront. When we have recess outside, we have permission to not wear masks. I really enjoy that and it gives me the fresh air that I really need. However, we are still required to wear masks when participating in recess and gym indoors, making indoor recess and gym very hard. Playing basketball for fifteen minutes or a high-intensity gym game for thirty-five minutes with a mask can be difficult, especially when you are trying to communicate with teammates. You can get very sweaty, and your mask can become wet. I realized that if I want to play hard and fast, I would have to sacrifice fifteen seconds of my day to go to the office and get a new mask. Better yet, bringing extra masks would save time. The next issue I used to have was with how our school would require us to test after school breaks even if we did not go on vacation. This is tough for me because it is a hassle for me to go up to Kinneret just for a Covid test. I then realized that this change was for safety, and therefore, I embraced it and moved on.
In conclusion, I realized that when it comes to Covid, you always have to be able to adjust. You always have to change what you are doing to adapt, even if you do not like the change. Rules change day-to-day, so you have to be able to cooperate with them. Therefore, when a new normal arises, you are going to have to deal with what is happening and adjust, so that the new normal fits into your routine. Even small changes are big steps to making a new normal in your life and your mental health. To achieve a new normal, you have to realize that things will change and that you have to deal with the change. Not everything is going to go your way. For me, adapting to a new normal at school was, at first, hard. Now, I know that I am able to adapt my life to the new rules, even if I fight against those rules at the beginning. Kinneret Day School is where I want to be, and therefore, the new normal at school is the new normal for me.
The classroom environment has become really different since Covid ran rampant through our communities. It is normal to see students being separated and spaced out while wearing masks to be safe. It is now normal to see students and teachers with their masks on all the time. The transition to this way of life was especially tough. I could not tell the facial expressions on students’ and teachers' faces. This made me very upset because it took away the emotional connection in classes, which is by far the most important for me. I can sometimes not even recognize my teachers without their masks. Despite these challenges, I learned to power through it and embrace that it is our new normal.
The one thing that made me happy about embracing the “new normal” was the increase in online work. I think online work gives someone, like me, the chance to be more organized. This change has affected me positively because I am now allowed to work more efficiently by completing assignments on my phone. This change has made it easier to communicate with teachers. Teachers made sure that the transition went smoothly. But despite help from my teachers, my first few days of seventh grade were tough. I could not high-five my friends, and I could not interact with some of them because of the pod system. I learned that I could talk to them during recess and lunch. I enjoyed that, but it still was tough not seeing them frequently. s we embrace the new normal we have to realize there are effects outside of the classroom and schoolwork.
Outside of the curriculum, the “new normal” has been harder to embrace. Until recently, in 8th grade, boys and girls had to eat separately for lunch. The reason for that action was to provide us with socially distant spaces to eat. I fully agree with this reason, although the transition to this system was quite tough for me. Another new normal is that we now have a designated snack time in between two of our classes. This is very tough for me because of my involvement in the Tech Squad. Every day, I have to put away Chromebooks, which takes time out of my snack period. This leads to me only having a few minutes to eat. Therefore, I have had to adapt to this new normal by putting the Chromebooks away as fast as possible so that I have enough time to eat my snack. Another next major change was a change in our school’s water policy. If you have to drink water during a class, you must leave the classroom. I did not like the rule at first, but it grew on me. I had to embrace it in order to comply with the school rules.
Although I have confronted many challenges in adapting to changes made to our snacks and lunch, the changes made during recess and gym were by far the most difficult to confront. When we have recess outside, we have permission to not wear masks. I really enjoy that and it gives me the fresh air that I really need. However, we are still required to wear masks when participating in recess and gym indoors, making indoor recess and gym very hard. Playing basketball for fifteen minutes or a high-intensity gym game for thirty-five minutes with a mask can be difficult, especially when you are trying to communicate with teammates. You can get very sweaty, and your mask can become wet. I realized that if I want to play hard and fast, I would have to sacrifice fifteen seconds of my day to go to the office and get a new mask. Better yet, bringing extra masks would save time. The next issue I used to have was with how our school would require us to test after school breaks even if we did not go on vacation. This is tough for me because it is a hassle for me to go up to Kinneret just for a Covid test. I then realized that this change was for safety, and therefore, I embraced it and moved on.
In conclusion, I realized that when it comes to Covid, you always have to be able to adjust. You always have to change what you are doing to adapt, even if you do not like the change. Rules change day-to-day, so you have to be able to cooperate with them. Therefore, when a new normal arises, you are going to have to deal with what is happening and adjust, so that the new normal fits into your routine. Even small changes are big steps to making a new normal in your life and your mental health. To achieve a new normal, you have to realize that things will change and that you have to deal with the change. Not everything is going to go your way. For me, adapting to a new normal at school was, at first, hard. Now, I know that I am able to adapt my life to the new rules, even if I fight against those rules at the beginning. Kinneret Day School is where I want to be, and therefore, the new normal at school is the new normal for me.
Kinneret Day School Empowerment
Stav Barak, 7th
During my time at Kinneret Day School, or KDS for short, I have seen our school empower its students using education in many ways. Our school empowers us by encouraging and nourishing our critical thinking. The school does so in every subject by not only encouraging us to know the material extremely well but to question what has been taught to us as well. For example, one of our Judaic Studies assignments was to form questions about a specific topic in the Amidah and then interview people about the prayer. This was very empowering because it encouraged us to think about the meaning of the prayer and to strive for a deep understanding of the material we were studying. When the school empowers us in this way, it is preparing us for life on our own as well as encouraging us to know the facts before we make choices in life. This type of thinking is very useful in political situations and relates to the war between Ukraine and Russia because it teaches us to analyze the situation and motives from both perspectives before we select a side. This is one example of how the school empowers us.
Another example of how the school empowers us is by exposing us to different ideas and perspectives about Judaism. The school does this by presenting us with many materials and opinions about Judaism and encourages us to select the one that suits us best. One way that the school does this is through our assignments. For instance, we once had a Judaic Studies lesson about faith and reason. That lesson taught us two perspectives of Judaism. The perspective of believing in God with blind faith, and the perspective of questioning God. The tension between faith and reason. My teacher did not force my class to accept a certain perspective. The lesson featured some quotes from thinkers who believed in faith and some who believed in reason. The lesson ended with a question, “Are you more of a faith or reason person?” This question encouraged me to choose which perspective I wanted to embrace and encouraged me to choose for myself. This empowerment lets me express myself in a supportive, non-judgmental environment, and prepares us for big and important decisions in our lives. This is another way that our school empowers us.
In addition, KDS empowers us by nourishing a diverse Jewish learning environment. This means that our school accepts all types of Jews, including more observant and less observant Jews. This empowerment through diversity helps us become considerate and respectful of people who have different levels of observance. For example, the diversity helps us learn that we should be respectful of the people that keep Shabbat, and not send them emails on Shabbat. That kind of empowerment can carry over to life as well and relate not only to different degrees of Jewish observance but to different religions and people alike. This is how KDS empowers us through diversity.
The virus has not changed the ways in which our school empowers us. This is so because our empowerment comes from our learning, both in-person and virtually. Ideas presented to us as well as the lessons and assignments that are taught continued regardless of the Coronavirus situation. Another way that our school empowers us is through the people who we learn with, and that has not changed in the Coronavirus because our classes have not changed. The ways that our school empowers us have nothing to do with the location in which we learn. It is what we learn and the people with whom we learn that empowers us. Since neither was affected by the Coronavirus, the school has continued to empower us in the same ways as it did before the pandemic. These are the reasons why the virus has not changed the ways that our school uses to empower us.
Another example of how the school empowers us is by exposing us to different ideas and perspectives about Judaism. The school does this by presenting us with many materials and opinions about Judaism and encourages us to select the one that suits us best. One way that the school does this is through our assignments. For instance, we once had a Judaic Studies lesson about faith and reason. That lesson taught us two perspectives of Judaism. The perspective of believing in God with blind faith, and the perspective of questioning God. The tension between faith and reason. My teacher did not force my class to accept a certain perspective. The lesson featured some quotes from thinkers who believed in faith and some who believed in reason. The lesson ended with a question, “Are you more of a faith or reason person?” This question encouraged me to choose which perspective I wanted to embrace and encouraged me to choose for myself. This empowerment lets me express myself in a supportive, non-judgmental environment, and prepares us for big and important decisions in our lives. This is another way that our school empowers us.
In addition, KDS empowers us by nourishing a diverse Jewish learning environment. This means that our school accepts all types of Jews, including more observant and less observant Jews. This empowerment through diversity helps us become considerate and respectful of people who have different levels of observance. For example, the diversity helps us learn that we should be respectful of the people that keep Shabbat, and not send them emails on Shabbat. That kind of empowerment can carry over to life as well and relate not only to different degrees of Jewish observance but to different religions and people alike. This is how KDS empowers us through diversity.
The virus has not changed the ways in which our school empowers us. This is so because our empowerment comes from our learning, both in-person and virtually. Ideas presented to us as well as the lessons and assignments that are taught continued regardless of the Coronavirus situation. Another way that our school empowers us is through the people who we learn with, and that has not changed in the Coronavirus because our classes have not changed. The ways that our school empowers us have nothing to do with the location in which we learn. It is what we learn and the people with whom we learn that empowers us. Since neither was affected by the Coronavirus, the school has continued to empower us in the same ways as it did before the pandemic. These are the reasons why the virus has not changed the ways that our school uses to empower us.
Make America Safe Again: Ditch Deadly Assault Weapons
Lucia Robinovich, 8th
Every other month my school has an active shooter drill. My middle school classmates and I dive under our desks or huddle in the corner of the classroom. It makes us feel safer, secure and prepared, but if an active shooter was really there we would be sitting ducks. As I sit there, I envision a shooter’s index finger curled, squeezing the trigger. The gun chamber emptying faster than “LOCKDOWN LOCKDOWN LOCKDOWN” can be heard blaring over the loudspeakers.
Gun violence is a plague. There was an average of more than one mass shooting per day in the U.S. in the year 2021, continuing the increase in shootings from year to year since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 (Brewster). Many of those homicides were made possible by easy-to-access automatic and semiautomatic weapons, which allow bullets to fly faster and more accurately, increasing the devastating effects of mass shootings.
“If a shooter uses a semiautomatic rifle instead of another type of gun, it appears to roughly double the chances of victims being wounded and killed” (Scientific American). Civilian ownership of all automatic and semiautomatic firearms should not be an option in the U.S.
Semi and automatic firearms are military grade, posing high risks. They hold too much power to be used safely for legitimate civilian purposes, such as self-defense or hunting. We need to restrict access to weapons that cause mass destruction and staggering casualties. In August 2019, a shooter from Dayton, Ohio killed nine unarmed civilians in 30 seconds using an assault rifle, a weapon classified as a machine gun, that he owned legally (Diamond). Just like the calamity in Dayton, most mass shootings are perpetrated with legally owned weapons.
Some Americans believe it is their Constitutional right to bear arms. They resist change and fear the erosion of their rights. Yet, this does not mean that laws cannot be enacted to protect the public from gun violence. The government already regulates cars, which have the potential to cause accidents that lead to death. Assault rifles are weapons of war. How can the government fail to better regulate the accessibility and use of assault rifles that were designed to kill?
Civilian ownership of machine guns and semi-automatic weapons should be banned in the U.S. These firearms are military grade, pose high risks to civilians, and increase the number of people injured in mass shootings. Students should not have to worry whether they will make it home alive once they get to school. It is time for lawmakers to strengthen the regulations on these weapons. Our elected representatives must face reality and govern responsibly to avoid having the blood of innocents on their hands.
Works Cited
“America's Gun Culture - in Seven Charts.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Apr. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.
Brewster, Jack. “More Than One Mass Shooting Per Day Has Occurred In 2021.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/04/16/more-than-one-mass-shooting-per-day-has-occurred-in-2021/?sh=75cde6df6493.
Fernandez, Manny, et al. “In Texas School Shooting, 10 Dead, 10 Hurt and Many Unsurprised.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 May 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/us/school-shooting-santa-fe-texas.html.
“Machine Guns & 50 Caliber.” Giffords, 8 Oct. 2021, giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/hardware-ammunition/machine-guns-50-caliber/.
Maron, Dina Fine. “Data Confirm Semiautomatic Rifles Linked to More Deaths, Injuries.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 11 Sept. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/data-confirm-semiautomatic-rifles-linked-to-more-deaths-injuries/.
Omar Mateen used a Sig Sauer AR-15 rifle. “Why the AR-15 Is the Mass Shooter's Go-to Weapon.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2016/06/13/news/ar-15-assault-rifle/index.html.
“Opinion | Gun Ads Target Men Who Want to Feel Powerful. And People Die Because of It.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/dayton-shooter-s-gun-reason-he-killed-9-30-seconds-ncna1039571.
Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts about Americans and Guns.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 13 Sept. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/.
“Assault Rifle.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle.
Gun violence is a plague. There was an average of more than one mass shooting per day in the U.S. in the year 2021, continuing the increase in shootings from year to year since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 (Brewster). Many of those homicides were made possible by easy-to-access automatic and semiautomatic weapons, which allow bullets to fly faster and more accurately, increasing the devastating effects of mass shootings.
“If a shooter uses a semiautomatic rifle instead of another type of gun, it appears to roughly double the chances of victims being wounded and killed” (Scientific American). Civilian ownership of all automatic and semiautomatic firearms should not be an option in the U.S.
Semi and automatic firearms are military grade, posing high risks. They hold too much power to be used safely for legitimate civilian purposes, such as self-defense or hunting. We need to restrict access to weapons that cause mass destruction and staggering casualties. In August 2019, a shooter from Dayton, Ohio killed nine unarmed civilians in 30 seconds using an assault rifle, a weapon classified as a machine gun, that he owned legally (Diamond). Just like the calamity in Dayton, most mass shootings are perpetrated with legally owned weapons.
Some Americans believe it is their Constitutional right to bear arms. They resist change and fear the erosion of their rights. Yet, this does not mean that laws cannot be enacted to protect the public from gun violence. The government already regulates cars, which have the potential to cause accidents that lead to death. Assault rifles are weapons of war. How can the government fail to better regulate the accessibility and use of assault rifles that were designed to kill?
Civilian ownership of machine guns and semi-automatic weapons should be banned in the U.S. These firearms are military grade, pose high risks to civilians, and increase the number of people injured in mass shootings. Students should not have to worry whether they will make it home alive once they get to school. It is time for lawmakers to strengthen the regulations on these weapons. Our elected representatives must face reality and govern responsibly to avoid having the blood of innocents on their hands.
Works Cited
“America's Gun Culture - in Seven Charts.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Apr. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.
Brewster, Jack. “More Than One Mass Shooting Per Day Has Occurred In 2021.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/04/16/more-than-one-mass-shooting-per-day-has-occurred-in-2021/?sh=75cde6df6493.
Fernandez, Manny, et al. “In Texas School Shooting, 10 Dead, 10 Hurt and Many Unsurprised.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 May 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/us/school-shooting-santa-fe-texas.html.
“Machine Guns & 50 Caliber.” Giffords, 8 Oct. 2021, giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/hardware-ammunition/machine-guns-50-caliber/.
Maron, Dina Fine. “Data Confirm Semiautomatic Rifles Linked to More Deaths, Injuries.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 11 Sept. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/data-confirm-semiautomatic-rifles-linked-to-more-deaths-injuries/.
Omar Mateen used a Sig Sauer AR-15 rifle. “Why the AR-15 Is the Mass Shooter's Go-to Weapon.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2016/06/13/news/ar-15-assault-rifle/index.html.
“Opinion | Gun Ads Target Men Who Want to Feel Powerful. And People Die Because of It.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/dayton-shooter-s-gun-reason-he-killed-9-30-seconds-ncna1039571.
Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts about Americans and Guns.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 13 Sept. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/.
“Assault Rifle.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle.
Did Homo Erectus Influence How Homo Sapiens Look and Act Today?
Nika Drubetskoy, 7th
Homo erectus was a species that lived on Earth about 100,000 to 1.6 million years ago. H. erectus was the first species to walk upright, so they are also called “The Upright Man.” They are considered the forerunners of Homo sapiens, also known as modern humans. One of the biggest arguments in the study of human evolution is whether or not H. erectus is or is not a direct ancestor of H. sapiens. If they are our direct ancestors, we still do not know whether the change from H. erectus to H. sapiens was gradual or sudden (also called a punctuated change). We have minimal evidence, such as bones and charcoal, to support both sides. Some paleontologists believe that the H. erectus died out and didn’t contribute to human evolution. However, there is evidence as to why H. erectus could be a direct ancestor of H. sapiens.
Some H. erectus bones are interpreted as supporting the theory that H. erectus are direct ancestors of H. sapiens. For example, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, there is a similarity between the H. erectus’ and the H. sapiens’ skulls, which can allow us to deduce that our skulls slowly evolved from the H. erectus skull. The similarities include eyebrow ridges, cranium capacity, and tooth structure. Pediaa.com provides another example of how we are ancestors of the H. erectus. An article from the website stated that H. erectus and H. sapiens both have an upright posture, a well-matured skeleton, and similar limb structures. Such evidence suggests that there is a strong link between H. erectus and
H. sapiens.
There is also behavioral evidence for this hypothesis. Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that H. erectus made weapons to hunt, showing us that they were skilled enough to figure out how to kill animals and prepare them to eat. In addition, a shell with zig-zag markings found in Java, Indonesia is thought to be the first work of art in history. This shell dates back to 430,000 or 540,000 years ago, the time of H. erectus. They are also known to be the first species to be able to control fire. This shows that H. erectus knew how to produce heat and cook their food, which helped them move to colder areas. Evidence shows that H. erectus moved between caves for warmth and open areas for water and sunlight. They knew how to provide for their well-being, like H. sapiens.
In conclusion, there are still a lot of unanswered questions and theories about what really happened hundreds of thousands of years ago. We greatly rely on physical and behavioral evidence that we found in different regions, but we still need more fossils to finish the puzzle. We can only hope that we find new evidence soon.
This topic has always interested me. It started when I was sick and my mom showed me a documentary about the evolution of the human human species. Since then, I have read articles and different ideas about human evolution. Overall, there is much to learn about this topic.
Bibliography
“Homo erectus - The Australian Museum.” Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/homo-erectus/. Accessed 9 May 2022.
“Similarities and Differences Between Homo Erectus and Homo Sapiens.” Pediaa.Com, 31 August 2018, https://pediaa.com/similarities-and-differences-between-homo-erectus-and-homo-sapiens/. Accessed 9 May 2022.
Tobias, Phillip Vallentine, and Zdenek Burian. “Homo erectus | Definition, Characteristics, Skull, Diet, Tools, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homo-erectus. Accessed 9 May 2022.
Some H. erectus bones are interpreted as supporting the theory that H. erectus are direct ancestors of H. sapiens. For example, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, there is a similarity between the H. erectus’ and the H. sapiens’ skulls, which can allow us to deduce that our skulls slowly evolved from the H. erectus skull. The similarities include eyebrow ridges, cranium capacity, and tooth structure. Pediaa.com provides another example of how we are ancestors of the H. erectus. An article from the website stated that H. erectus and H. sapiens both have an upright posture, a well-matured skeleton, and similar limb structures. Such evidence suggests that there is a strong link between H. erectus and
H. sapiens.
There is also behavioral evidence for this hypothesis. Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that H. erectus made weapons to hunt, showing us that they were skilled enough to figure out how to kill animals and prepare them to eat. In addition, a shell with zig-zag markings found in Java, Indonesia is thought to be the first work of art in history. This shell dates back to 430,000 or 540,000 years ago, the time of H. erectus. They are also known to be the first species to be able to control fire. This shows that H. erectus knew how to produce heat and cook their food, which helped them move to colder areas. Evidence shows that H. erectus moved between caves for warmth and open areas for water and sunlight. They knew how to provide for their well-being, like H. sapiens.
In conclusion, there are still a lot of unanswered questions and theories about what really happened hundreds of thousands of years ago. We greatly rely on physical and behavioral evidence that we found in different regions, but we still need more fossils to finish the puzzle. We can only hope that we find new evidence soon.
This topic has always interested me. It started when I was sick and my mom showed me a documentary about the evolution of the human human species. Since then, I have read articles and different ideas about human evolution. Overall, there is much to learn about this topic.
Bibliography
“Homo erectus - The Australian Museum.” Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/homo-erectus/. Accessed 9 May 2022.
“Similarities and Differences Between Homo Erectus and Homo Sapiens.” Pediaa.Com, 31 August 2018, https://pediaa.com/similarities-and-differences-between-homo-erectus-and-homo-sapiens/. Accessed 9 May 2022.
Tobias, Phillip Vallentine, and Zdenek Burian. “Homo erectus | Definition, Characteristics, Skull, Diet, Tools, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homo-erectus. Accessed 9 May 2022.
Why We Need To Be More Mindful of Mental Health
Violet Hoffnung, 7th
Evan Hansen walked into the dreaded math classroom of Jersey City High on his first day of senior year. He had social anxiety and came into the classroom shaking. He happened to be seated next to Connor Murphy, a student who was known for taking drugs, being rough, etcetera. Little did the students of Jersey City High know, that day would be the final day that the students would ever see Connor Murphy, as he would commit suicide that night. Connor Murphy, unfortunately, did not receive all the help he needed to avert his suicide.
Many adolescents suffer from what people like Connor Murphy and Evan Hansen endured. Adolescents ages 12-17 disclosed in 2018-2019 that in the previous year, 15.7% of adolescents had made a plan to commit suicide, and 8.9% attempted to go through with it (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Statistics also show that in 2017 suicide was the secound leading cause of death in people aged 15-24. (National Center for Health Statistics and Center of Disease Control and Prevention).
In addition, it is not uncommon for teenagers to face what Evan Hansen did every day. It is estimated that 5.8 million (9.4%) of American children ages 3-17 in 2016-2019 were diagnosed with anxiety (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Many people, including adolescents, suffer from anxiety every day. 1 in every 3 of all teenagers ages 13-18 will have an anxiety disorder (National Institutes of Health). Anxiety can include nervousness, ongoing fear, and more (VerywellMind.com).
Another mental health topic that affects teenagers everyday is depression. Kids ages 12-17 in 2018-2019 recorded about the year before, 15.1% had a depressive episode (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Depression can affect one’s everyday life. One may be less excited about participating in fun activities, and be very, very sad all the time, and more (Psycom.net). Depression can also lead to people pushing away their family and friends (Blurtitout.org).
In conclusion, we all need to be more mindful of mental health. As discussed before, many, many teenagers face mental health struggles everyday which affects their everyday life. We need to be more mindful of mental health because we will not always know the struggles everyday that people face. In addition, like Connor Murphy, not everyone suffering from severe mental issues gets the help that they need (World Health Organization) which then enables troubling things to happen. All of these struggles everyday are real, and society needs to be mindful of that and continue being mindful of that.
Works Cited
“Any Anxiety Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder#part_155096.
Curtin, Sally C, and Heron, Melonie, “Death Rates Due to Suicide and Homicide Among Persons Aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2017.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db352-h.pdf
“Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Mar. 2022, www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html.
Owen Kelly, PhD. “Do You Know the Difference Between Stress and an Anxiety Disorder?” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 21 Dec. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/anxiety-disorder-2510539.
Soriano, Krista. “Depression Types, Causes, Symptoms, Statistics, & Treatment.” Psycom, https://www.psycom.net/depression.
Team, Blurt. “Depression: Why We Push People Away.” The Blurt Foundation, 6 May 2022, www.blurtitout.org/2018/02/08/depression-why-we-push-people-away/.
Many adolescents suffer from what people like Connor Murphy and Evan Hansen endured. Adolescents ages 12-17 disclosed in 2018-2019 that in the previous year, 15.7% of adolescents had made a plan to commit suicide, and 8.9% attempted to go through with it (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Statistics also show that in 2017 suicide was the secound leading cause of death in people aged 15-24. (National Center for Health Statistics and Center of Disease Control and Prevention).
In addition, it is not uncommon for teenagers to face what Evan Hansen did every day. It is estimated that 5.8 million (9.4%) of American children ages 3-17 in 2016-2019 were diagnosed with anxiety (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Many people, including adolescents, suffer from anxiety every day. 1 in every 3 of all teenagers ages 13-18 will have an anxiety disorder (National Institutes of Health). Anxiety can include nervousness, ongoing fear, and more (VerywellMind.com).
Another mental health topic that affects teenagers everyday is depression. Kids ages 12-17 in 2018-2019 recorded about the year before, 15.1% had a depressive episode (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Depression can affect one’s everyday life. One may be less excited about participating in fun activities, and be very, very sad all the time, and more (Psycom.net). Depression can also lead to people pushing away their family and friends (Blurtitout.org).
In conclusion, we all need to be more mindful of mental health. As discussed before, many, many teenagers face mental health struggles everyday which affects their everyday life. We need to be more mindful of mental health because we will not always know the struggles everyday that people face. In addition, like Connor Murphy, not everyone suffering from severe mental issues gets the help that they need (World Health Organization) which then enables troubling things to happen. All of these struggles everyday are real, and society needs to be mindful of that and continue being mindful of that.
Works Cited
“Any Anxiety Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder#part_155096.
Curtin, Sally C, and Heron, Melonie, “Death Rates Due to Suicide and Homicide Among Persons Aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2017.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db352-h.pdf
“Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Mar. 2022, www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html.
Owen Kelly, PhD. “Do You Know the Difference Between Stress and an Anxiety Disorder?” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 21 Dec. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/anxiety-disorder-2510539.
Soriano, Krista. “Depression Types, Causes, Symptoms, Statistics, & Treatment.” Psycom, https://www.psycom.net/depression.
Team, Blurt. “Depression: Why We Push People Away.” The Blurt Foundation, 6 May 2022, www.blurtitout.org/2018/02/08/depression-why-we-push-people-away/.
Math or English
Ari Friedlander, 6th
In my life, I tend to prioritize numbers over words. Mathematics is its own language. It is easier for me to communicate through numbers for three main reasons. The first reason is that math has always interested me. Another reason is that I love to express myself through mathematics. My final reason is that I prefer to show my reasoning than state them using words.
Since I was little, I had always loved to try and find out as much about math as I could. The first time I experienced this was when I was in Pre-K. I was four years old, and my class was starting to learn how to count, so I then decided to learn how to add and subtract. The next time that I tried to learn as much math as I could was towards the end of Kindergarten, which was when I started to learn the basics of multiplication.
My next example is that I find it hard to explain myself using words. Whenever I use words, I run into one of two problems. I either use too many words to the point where I am over explaining something, or I use too few words that what I am trying to say becomes unclear. Whenever I use numbers, I can never use too many. Your equation is either true or false. You cannot use too many numbers unless you are trying to do so. I cannot recall ever having to use more numbers, everything could always be simplified. These are the reasons for why I prefer math over English.
Since I was little, I had always loved to try and find out as much about math as I could. The first time I experienced this was when I was in Pre-K. I was four years old, and my class was starting to learn how to count, so I then decided to learn how to add and subtract. The next time that I tried to learn as much math as I could was towards the end of Kindergarten, which was when I started to learn the basics of multiplication.
My next example is that I find it hard to explain myself using words. Whenever I use words, I run into one of two problems. I either use too many words to the point where I am over explaining something, or I use too few words that what I am trying to say becomes unclear. Whenever I use numbers, I can never use too many. Your equation is either true or false. You cannot use too many numbers unless you are trying to do so. I cannot recall ever having to use more numbers, everything could always be simplified. These are the reasons for why I prefer math over English.
Music as Communication
Benjamin Dror, 6th
When we think of expressing and speaking, our minds generally go to words, although music can also be a “method” for expressing ourselves. Music is very expressible due to there being a lot of new songs that come out daily. Also, I often find that when people say certain words, I can find a song that connects to those words. Songs are also usually used to express love, heartbreak, happiness, sadness, and more. It would also be easier to say certain things through music due to it allowing you to put more emotion into your speech. Therefore, music builds and adds onto what you are trying to say.
Music is already a beautiful “language” but to have everyone use it would be heaven. The rhythm would be nice and you could choose what song to sing depending on your mood. But a bad downfall would be that if you heard a song you hated, you would not be able to lower the volume or mute the person singing. Depending on the type of conversation you are having, it would be either a long song or short song. A small question of what your favorite color is could be a whole four minute song.
An upside to music is that since it is very expressful, and people generally bottle up emotions from music, you would get to know people better. More people would understand each other and would not make as many false accusations. This would lead to more people bonding. From these bonding moments, more trust and less worrying would ensue.
In conclusion, I would choose music as another form of communication because music is more expressive than other forms of communication, and the tune and rhythms of songs are really nice, in general. Music would just help a lot, but it also has its flaws such as chaos and “odd” songs.
Music is already a beautiful “language” but to have everyone use it would be heaven. The rhythm would be nice and you could choose what song to sing depending on your mood. But a bad downfall would be that if you heard a song you hated, you would not be able to lower the volume or mute the person singing. Depending on the type of conversation you are having, it would be either a long song or short song. A small question of what your favorite color is could be a whole four minute song.
An upside to music is that since it is very expressful, and people generally bottle up emotions from music, you would get to know people better. More people would understand each other and would not make as many false accusations. This would lead to more people bonding. From these bonding moments, more trust and less worrying would ensue.
In conclusion, I would choose music as another form of communication because music is more expressive than other forms of communication, and the tune and rhythms of songs are really nice, in general. Music would just help a lot, but it also has its flaws such as chaos and “odd” songs.
Can We Judge People of the Past by Today's Standards
Gabriella Jonathan-Trakht, 8th
On June 22, the statue of President Jackson was almost pulled down by a group of protestors near the White House (NYTimes 2020). With the help of the police, the statue was protected and remained untouched that night. The statue was almost pulled down due to Jackson forcing the Native Americans out of their land and making them walk the "Trail of Tears," where 15,000 Native Americans died from disease and hunger. Jackson was also a slave owner. On June 7, protestors pulled down the statue of Edward Colston, who was a slave trader, into Bristol Harbor. There were many other incidents where statues were pulled down or attempted to be pulled down because people disagreed with their actions from the past (NYTimes 2020). This targets surrounding figures who were once seen as heroes of US history, such as Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, who also committed horrific crimes. This is the question of whether it is appropriate to judge historical figures by contemporary standards.
According to Hughes, "Presentism is a historical term meaning judging past actions by today's standards, or uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts" (Hughes, Chip, et al.). Presentism is very biased because it judges historical figures' behavior by modern standards. The problem with this is that we think our present-day morals are the most correct. For this reason, we often judge past morals and compare them to ours. While past morals may not be as advanced and correct as ours, it is unfair to judge past figures by our present-day standards. Several hundred years from now, the future people will most likely have standards that differ from ours and will therefore judge and criticize our actions based on their own standards. This is why you can only judge a person by the standards of their time. Our morals evolve by accumulating knowledge and improving our mistakes from the past. Cultural values evolved and changed as time progressed. History is a way to improve our society and economy and also become well-rounded as a whole.
How far should historians go in examining and analyzing history? Should historians use the lens of today's morality and attitudes when evaluating events and people's choices from the past? Is it possible to analyze events without passing judgment?
Should historians analyze past events using their moral judgment or solely the facts? Although it is impossible not to make moral evaluations or have an opinion, historians should refrain from using words of judgment. However, at times it is appropriate to express your opinion.
In conclusion, it is unjust to judge historical figures by our standards because if we do so, we are immoral. People from the past had no way of knowing that their morals were incorrect. That is why historians should teach the facts, letting others form their own opinion and interpret them however they want. Judging people by the morals of their time is fair because their actions were more likely to be considered normal at that time. We live by accepted cultural norms. These have evolved considerably over time, largely for the better. Someday, our descendants will look back and wonder how to judge us with our economy, society, greed, and stupidity.
Works Cited
Hughes, Chip, et al. "Presentism: Don't Judge Our Ancestors' Actions by Today's Standards." Voices and Images, August 10 2018, www.voicesandimages.com/presentism-dont-judge-ancestors-actions-by-todays-standards/.
The New York Times. "How Statues Are Falling Around the World." The New York Times, The New York Times, June 24, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/confederate-statues-photos.html.
According to Hughes, "Presentism is a historical term meaning judging past actions by today's standards, or uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts" (Hughes, Chip, et al.). Presentism is very biased because it judges historical figures' behavior by modern standards. The problem with this is that we think our present-day morals are the most correct. For this reason, we often judge past morals and compare them to ours. While past morals may not be as advanced and correct as ours, it is unfair to judge past figures by our present-day standards. Several hundred years from now, the future people will most likely have standards that differ from ours and will therefore judge and criticize our actions based on their own standards. This is why you can only judge a person by the standards of their time. Our morals evolve by accumulating knowledge and improving our mistakes from the past. Cultural values evolved and changed as time progressed. History is a way to improve our society and economy and also become well-rounded as a whole.
How far should historians go in examining and analyzing history? Should historians use the lens of today's morality and attitudes when evaluating events and people's choices from the past? Is it possible to analyze events without passing judgment?
Should historians analyze past events using their moral judgment or solely the facts? Although it is impossible not to make moral evaluations or have an opinion, historians should refrain from using words of judgment. However, at times it is appropriate to express your opinion.
In conclusion, it is unjust to judge historical figures by our standards because if we do so, we are immoral. People from the past had no way of knowing that their morals were incorrect. That is why historians should teach the facts, letting others form their own opinion and interpret them however they want. Judging people by the morals of their time is fair because their actions were more likely to be considered normal at that time. We live by accepted cultural norms. These have evolved considerably over time, largely for the better. Someday, our descendants will look back and wonder how to judge us with our economy, society, greed, and stupidity.
Works Cited
Hughes, Chip, et al. "Presentism: Don't Judge Our Ancestors' Actions by Today's Standards." Voices and Images, August 10 2018, www.voicesandimages.com/presentism-dont-judge-ancestors-actions-by-todays-standards/.
The New York Times. "How Statues Are Falling Around the World." The New York Times, The New York Times, June 24, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/confederate-statues-photos.html.
How Does the Internet Impact Kids Today?
Anna Gurevich, 6th
At this time the Internet affects many kids in numerous ways. Countless kids sit on their screens all day, playing games instead of socializing. In fact, according to an article published by Common Sense Media in 2016, 50% of teens feel addicted to their mobile devices and 59% of parents mentioned that their kids were sitting on screens all day. This can be a problem because too much screen time can lead to depression, sleep problems, obesity, and more issues. Screens do not allow children to socialize with friends or play outside, instead, they isolate them from the rest of the world!
Studies show that a disproportionate amount of screen time can affect people's moods. After a lot of time on mobile devices, kids will feel more grumpy, lose self-control, and become less stable. In fact, teens who spent the most time on Instagram, Facebook, and all other social media platforms existing today are reported to have 13-66% more depression than people depressed for other reasons.
More importantly, kids who spend time on screens during the hour before going to bed do not get enough sleep, which results in them not doing well in school. Not only do screens affect one's mental health but physical health from the lack of sleep including high blood pressure, high risk of heart attack and stroke, etc. Research proves that 28% of school-aged children and 57% of teenagers who leave an electronic device in their bedroom after bedtime manage less sleep and have lower sleep quality.
Lastly, screens isolate children from the rest of the world. After school, children often come home and start playing video games on their devices after eating a big bag of chips. They sit like that for hours, which can lead to obesity. Children not getting enough exercise is not healthy either. Sitting at home all day while eating fast food is the reason why many kids are overweight today. Moreover, an important way kids learn is by socializing, and sitting home all day could lead to increased depression.
In summary, an inordinate amount of screen time can lead to depression, lack of sleep, and obesity, causing children not to be their best selves. The internet affects children today by isolating them from the rest of the world, disabling them to learn to be with other people and leading to kids not knowing how to behave around other people.
Works Cited
Mammoser, Gigen. “Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 10 Dec. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness.
“New Report Finds Teens Feel Addicted to Their Phones, Causing Tension at Home.” Common Sense Media, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-report-finds-teens-feel-addicted-to-their-phones-causing-tension-at-home.
Studies show that a disproportionate amount of screen time can affect people's moods. After a lot of time on mobile devices, kids will feel more grumpy, lose self-control, and become less stable. In fact, teens who spent the most time on Instagram, Facebook, and all other social media platforms existing today are reported to have 13-66% more depression than people depressed for other reasons.
More importantly, kids who spend time on screens during the hour before going to bed do not get enough sleep, which results in them not doing well in school. Not only do screens affect one's mental health but physical health from the lack of sleep including high blood pressure, high risk of heart attack and stroke, etc. Research proves that 28% of school-aged children and 57% of teenagers who leave an electronic device in their bedroom after bedtime manage less sleep and have lower sleep quality.
Lastly, screens isolate children from the rest of the world. After school, children often come home and start playing video games on their devices after eating a big bag of chips. They sit like that for hours, which can lead to obesity. Children not getting enough exercise is not healthy either. Sitting at home all day while eating fast food is the reason why many kids are overweight today. Moreover, an important way kids learn is by socializing, and sitting home all day could lead to increased depression.
In summary, an inordinate amount of screen time can lead to depression, lack of sleep, and obesity, causing children not to be their best selves. The internet affects children today by isolating them from the rest of the world, disabling them to learn to be with other people and leading to kids not knowing how to behave around other people.
Works Cited
Mammoser, Gigen. “Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 10 Dec. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness.
“New Report Finds Teens Feel Addicted to Their Phones, Causing Tension at Home.” Common Sense Media, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-report-finds-teens-feel-addicted-to-their-phones-causing-tension-at-home.
