Academics at Batesville High School

          Since the passing of No Child Left Behind, the majority of schools have lowered their standards, consequently lowering the nation's educational ranking as a whole. No Child Left Behind is wonderful; everyone should be given an education. However, the United States is not progressing as it should be.
          It is thought by many that in order for everyone to reach a certain point in education, the expectations must be lowered. No. It should not be this way. Those who are not as academically successful as others should be offered extra help to reach the same place as those that are more successful. Unfortuantely, our country has the opposite view of an ideal education. Students that strive for success are forced to step down in order to ensure that nonchalant students get a "passing grade". While all of this is taking place in our schools, we are complaining about how our educational ranking in the world is dropping. Ha. What a joke.
          Batesville High School, although it does not realistically offer the best education in the country, does a better job of helping the individual student. Almost every teacher is completely willing to help any student outside of class. If someone does not understand the material being taught, the teacher will undoubtedly help in any way possible. This enables the class to progress as they should, and the struggling student is helped outside of class. This is how every school should be, rather than lowering academics as a whole to satisfy those who struggle.

Sound Mind, Sound Body

          The picture above is an ad found in a magazine, promoting Asics products to athletes, specifically runners. The company, trying to sell as many products as possible, show the viewers that the asics are comfortable and make a runner's workout as pleasant as she wants.

          This ad was made by a well established athletic brand, Asics. They are well known for having good, trustworthy products. This truly makes viewers believe that the ad is legitimate, rather than being a lie with a pretty picture.

          Regrettably, there is not much logos used in this ad. Fortunately for Asics, their establishment and the layout of the ad itself still draw in new customers every day. The girl in the picture is seeminly calm and enjoying her run, rather than being in pain and forcing herself to exercise. This, along with the company's reputation, supports the implication that Asics are a nice, comfortable running shoe.

         

Keep a Design Notebook

          It was easy finding things that I liked, but it was rather hard for me to find things that I thought had bad design. I really had to be picky to find them. Doing this experiment taught me that although it is important, it is not all about looks. The product must work well and as effortlessly as possible in order for it to be bought. Of course, that is obvious, but I thought that this experiment made it clearer why this is so important.

Good designs: 

It is small but not too small, fitted to your hand, and pink!

The lid that comes with this is screwed on, so it will never fall off.

The spiral makes it easy to flip pages, and the folded one at the bottom lessens the likelihood of the pages getting caught in an unfinished spiral. 

Twisty eyeliner (I have no idea what it's actually called) instead of a pencil. So much easier to twist the end than having to sharpen it when it gets dull.

A headband is useless (to me atleast) if it does not have teeth. When you use it, you can not see them so it is not any less attractive than one without.

Bad designs:

This is a creative cover and I like it, but the cutout makes it too easy to rip the cover.

I think all doorknobs are ugly. Elaborate or not, I think they are weird looking..

Hard cover books are much sturdier and last longer, but they are harder to read (for me anyways) and when ure trying to pack for something, it is more convenient if the book could move a little.

Real pencils are classic. They will be used for a very long time. But you always have to sharpen them, which really is not a problem, but compared to mechanical pencils, it makes real ones seem like a burden.

Mirrors are life savers. But they are horrible for picture taking. It is irritating. It's a group picture for a reason. If I wanted a picture of only myself, I would take one, but I don't. Maybe they could invent an anti-flash mirror or something. :D

Faith and Reason

Some say Earth was created,

Some say formed.

From what I know of faith,

I hold with those who favor creation.

But if I was to think twice,

I think I’ve heard enough of reason

To say that formation

Is reasonable

And would meet ends.

Memories

What happens to memories?

Do they fade
like a balloon released?
Or hide like a child --
Then reappear?
Do they run like a dream abandoned?
Or stay nearby --
Like a treasure?

Maybe they just rot
Like a fruit in the sun.

Or do they bloom?

Creon's Character Analysis

            Sophocles’s Antigone is a play about love, loyalty, and respect. It takes place in Ancient Greece, increasing the importance of certain morals emphasized in the play. Most of the characters in Antigone are true to their beliefs. However, there are, of course, characters that do not portray these beliefs in an appropriate manner, such as Creon. He is a stubborn, ignorant, ruler who believes that he can do no wrong.

            Creon, symbolically meaning “heir to the throne”, is a stereotypical ancient ruler. He believes that he is always right, and other peoples’ ideas seem foolish to him. In this play, he is the main antagonist. He goes against the laws of the gods, feeling that he is protecting his country. Although he was told many times that this was wrong, he did not falter, for he truly believed that he was doing the right thing.

However, nearing the end of the play, he heard a prophecy from Tiresias, his fortune-teller, saying that he would pay the consequences, “a corpse for corpses, in exchange for those [he has] sent from above the earth to below it”. (lines 1074 -1076) This caused him to drastically change his mind. Although Creon does change his ways, attempting to recuperate his mistakes, it has no effect, for his destiny was set. Death took the lives of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife.

This sudden change, however, reveals that he is, in reality, insecure. Creon is seemingly strong and powerful, but he is actually uncertain of this power. He feels the need to enforce unreasonable laws to feel the control that he has. This uncertainty is revealed when he is frightened and jumps on the bandwagon. He completely alters his ideas and does anything that his advisors say.

Rulers should have many strengths, but Creon has only one. This strength is his love. He loves his country, and admires his son. Nevertheless, he has several weaknesses, primarily his pride, along with his lack of wisdom.

When his country is calm and without turmoil, he makes decisions easily, with no hesitation. However, when he is pressured or depended upon, he turns to others opinions. This is also a sign of weakness, for he cannot execute rational decisions when it is essential.

            He is a typical ruler, feeling as if he is doing right. Unfortunately, he does not have the leadership skills needed for his title. Creon is a stubborn, ignorant, ruler who believes that he can do no wrong.

"Just Say No"

One of the most prominent issues in today's society is teenage drug abuse. Every teenager is repeatedly lectured about the dangers of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, etc.. We are constantly told that it will, at its own pace, tear our lives apart. They warn us that one time is enough to get you hooked, but people seem to feel a need to learn the hard way.

Everyone knows, but no one cares. The natural response to that would be, “Of course we care, Marie, why would you say such a thing?” Well, being born and raised in Memphis, I have seen first-hand how drugs and alcohol can drastically affect one’s life. Several friends of mine were sent to juvenile detention centers as young as the seventh and eighth grade – where was this so called “care” then?

All blame cannot be placed on parents, but who is aware of a child more than Mom and Dad? Our teenage years are our most vulnerable; we want to fit in, and we are easily stressed. Parents of teenagers should be much more observant of their child’s behavior during these years, because they affect the rest of our lives.

When parents become aware of their teenager falling victim to drugs, they do not know how to handle it. It is not the end of the world. Like any other issue, the solution is not the most obvious – one must get to the source of the problem. Once the root is uncovered, certain actions can be followed. On this discussion forum , teenagers shared their views of leading causes of teen drug use.

“IT IS A RELEASE FROM THE STRESSES OF LIFE.” (C) – As previously mentioned, teenagers are easily stressed. Aside from grades, students should not have much to be stressed about. Unfortunately, life is not as simple as that. We stress over girlfriend/boyfriend “drama”, fights, and even other people’s “drama”. Many people who claim to be stressed out are bringing it upon themselves.

“THEY WANT TO FIT IN WITH THE CROWD.” (Watson) – Peer pressure. Even among adults, this is a regular part of life. However, everyone must learn how to be strong enough to make decisions for themselves, rather than jumping on the bandwagon.

“Teens today are getting [drawn] in by the drug trend very strongly because of the celebrities they see and love.” (Russell) – I must admit that this never occurred to me. Nonetheless, it is a viable motivation for a teenager to not only use drugs, but to commit any other type of crime. Growing up, we are strongly influenced by our role models. Regrettably, celebrities are starting to replace parents and teachers as role models.

“TEENS [THESE] DAYS USE DRUGS BECAUSE [THEY DO] NOT [HAVE] ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM THEIR PARENTS.” (Jenny) – This quote contradicts my initial notion that parents could dcrease the drug use rate among teenagers. Instead of preventing it, they may occasionally be the source of it.
Based on the various motivations of teen drug abuse, it is apparent that one individual cannot be put to blame. It may not be the simplest solution, but it is evident that rather than restricting drug use, certain actions should be taken to eliminate any reasons behind it.

--Marie

C, . "Why do teens use drugs?." 22 Mar 2007. Online Posting to National Issues Forums
            Online Discussions. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

Jenny, . "Why do teens use drugs?." 27 Apr 2007. Online Posting to National Issues Forums
            Online Discussions. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

Johnson, . "Why do teens use drugs?." 22 Mar 2007. Online Posting to National Issues
            Forums Online Discussions. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

Russell, Casey. "Why do teens use drugs?." 27 Apr 2007. Online Posting to National Issues
            Forums Online Discussions. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

Watson, Shaniqua . "Why do teens use drugs?." 22 Mar 2007. Online Posting to National
            Issues Forums Online Discussions. Web. 9 Feb 2011.